Influence of urban activities on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in precipitation: distribution, sources and depositional flux in a developing metropolis, Fortaleza, Brazil.

Autor: Cavalcante RM; Laboratório de Avaliação de Contaminantes Orgânicos, Instituto de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal do Ceará-Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. rivelino@ufc.br, Sousa FW, Nascimento RF, Silveira ER, Viana RB
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2012 Jan 01; Vol. 414, pp. 287-92. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 Nov 30.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.10.050
Abstrakt: We measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bulk precipitation in the Fortaleza metropolitan area, Ceará, Brazil, for the first time. Because little information is available concerning PAHs in tropical climatic regions, we assessed their spatial distribution and possible sources and the influence of urban activities on the depositional fluxes of PAHs in bulk precipitation. The concentrations of individual and total PAHs (Σ(PAHs)) in bulk precipitation ranged from undetectable to 133.9 ng.L(-1) and from 202.6 to 674.8 ng.L(-1), respectively. The plume of highest concentrations was most intense in a zone with heavy automobile traffic and favorable topography for the concentration of emitted pollutants. The depositional fluxes of PAHs in bulk precipitation calculated in this study (undetectable to 0.87 μg.m(-2).month(-1)) are 4 to 27 times smaller than those reported from tourist sites and industrial and urban areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Diagnostic ratio analyses of PAH samples showed that the major source of emissions is gasoline exhaust, with a small percentage originating from diesel fuel. Contributions from coal and wood combustion were also found. Major economic activities appear to contribute to pollutant emissions.
(Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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