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Background: Particulate matter (PM) is the most efficient vehicle for the inhalation and absorption of toxic substances into the body., Method: The present study was aimed at testing the hypothesis that PM10 samples collected on quartz filters exert an angiogenic activity in vivo in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay., Results: When the low, medium, and high PM10 concentrations filters were tested in the CAM assay, an increasing number of microvessels was detectable after 4 days of applications of the filters. Moreover, at histological level, numerous microvessels and a dense inflammatory infiltrate were recognizable in the CAM mesenchyme., Conclusion: Our data show a clear dose-response relationship between the dose variable (PM10 and Bap) and the outcome variable. So far, the PM10 target value is determined on the basis of regulatory agreements and is not health-based. In addition, the mere gravimetric measure of PM10 cannot be considered a fully reliable surrogate of the overall toxicity of the mixture., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study provided a useful approach for assessing the impact of industrial sources on surrounding, especially in a sensitive industrial area as Taranto (South of Italy). Taranto is one of the most industrialized Italian towns, where several emission sources operate simultaneously in proximity to the urban settlement. An intensive monitoring campaign of PAHs was carried out from January 28th to July 30th, 2011, in seven sites located in residential settlement around the industrial area and in the city center. The collected data were integrated with the information about wind direction and speed by means bivariate polarplot in order to characterize and localize the industrial sources. High BaP concentrations were detected especially when Benzene to Toluene ratio (B/T ratio) values excedeed 1 and all receptor sites were downwind to the steel plant. Moreover, in order to discriminate among PAH sources and quantify their contributions, a source apportionment analysis of the collected data was provided by means Principal component Analysis (PCA) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) methods. Finally, the processing of PMF5.0 output by bivariate polar plot, confirmed the impact of steel plant on both industrial sites downwind the steel plant and the city center. B[a]P apportionment was quite similar for industrial and urban sites: the traffic source contributed only 11% and 24% to B[a]P measured at two sites, respectively. Therefore, the proximity of Taranto downtown to industrial pole makes negligible all other source contributions to PAH concentrations., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nowadays, no a standard method for the determination of particulate bound nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) has been developed. Existing methods include complex sampling and extraction procedures. Moreover, their sensitivity does not allow to analyze daily PM10 samples, affecting the temporal resolution of NPAH concentrations. In this study an analytical method for the quantification of NPAHs on half 47 mm-filter samples of daily PM10 was developed and validated. NPAHs were recovered by microwave-assisted extraction, and analyzed by using a gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in MRM mode. The analytical performance for 14 NPAHs (2-nitrofluorene, 9-nitroanthracene, 9-nitrophenantrene, 3-nitrophenantrene, 2-nitroanthracene, 3-nitrofluoranthene, 1-nitropyrene, 2,7-dinitrofluorene, 7-nitrobenzo[a]anthracene, 6-nitrochrysene, 1,3-dinitropyrene, 1,8-dinitropyrene, 1,6-dinitropyrene, 6-nitrobenza[a]pyrene) was investigated. Recovery extraction percentage exceeded 95% for all target compounds in the range between 0.25 and 10 ng/mL. The repeatability, expressed as Relative Standard Deviation percentage (RSD%) of five determinations, was less than 10% for target compounds except for 2,7-dinitrofluorene, 1,3- and 1,8-dinitropyrene (RSD% < 15%). The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 12 to 84 pg/mL for most of NPAHs, except for dinitro-pyrenes and nitro-benzo(a)anthracene for which the LOD reached 1.8 ng/mL. The method developed was applied to real samples in order to evaluate the levels of NPAHs in the urban and industrial area of Taranto (South of Italy). The analysis of PM10 samples collected at four industrial and one urban sites, highlighted that in proximity of critical emission source as the biggest European steel plant and under certain weather conditions, combustion processes were the main source of NPAHs in atmosphere., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Around 50% of the world's population, particularly in developing countries, uses biomass as one of the most common fuels. Biomass combustion releases a considerable amount of various incomplete combustion products, including particulate matter (PM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The paper presents the results of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) measurements in six houses equipped with wood burning stoves or fireplaces as heating systems. The houses were monitored for 48-h periods in order to collect PM10 samples and measure PAH concentrations. The average, the maximum and the lowest values of the 12-h PM10 concentration were 68.6 μg/m³, 350.7 μg/m³ and 16.8 μg/m³ respectively. The average benzo[a]pyrene 12-h concentration was 9.4 ng/m³, while the maximum and the minimum values were 24.0 ng/m³ and 1.5 ng/m³, respectively. Continuous monitoring of PM10, PAHs, Ultra Fine Particle (UFP) and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) was performed in order to study the progress of pollution phenomena due to biomass burning, their trends and contributions to IAQ. The results show a great heterogeneity of impacts on IAQ in terms of magnitude and behavior of the considered pollutants' concentrations. This variability is determined by not only different combustion technologies or biomass quality, but overall by different ignition mode, feeding and flame management, which can also be different for the same house. Moreover, room dimensions and ventilation were significant factors for pollution dispersion. The increase of PM10, UFP and PAH concentrations, during lighting, was always detected and relevant. Continuous monitoring allowed singling out contributions of other domestic sources of considered pollutants such as cooking and cigarettes. Cooking contribution produced an impact on IAQ in same cases higher than that of the biomass heating system.

In the South of Italy, it is common for farmers to burn pruning waste from olive trees in spring. In order to evaluate the impact of the biomass burning source on the physical and chemical characteristics of the particulate matter (PM) emitted by these fires, a PM monitoring campaign was carried out in an olive grove. Daily PM10 samples were collected for 1 week, when there were no open fires, and when biomass was being burned, and at two different distances from the fires. Moreover, an optical particle counter and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) analyzer were used to measure the high time-resolved dimensional distribution of particles emitted and total PAHs concentrations, respectively. Chemical analysis of PM10 samples identified organic and inorganic components such as PAHs, ions, elements, and carbonaceous fractions (OC, EC). Analysis of the collected data showed the usefulness of organic and inorganic tracer species and of PAH diagnostic ratios for interpreting the impact of biomass fires on PM levels and on its chemical composition. Finally, high time-resolved monitoring of particle numbers and PAH concentrations was performed before, during, and after biomass burning, and these concentrations were seen to be very dependent on factors such as weather conditions, combustion efficiency, and temperature (smoldering versus flaming conditions), and moisture content of the wood burned.

Children are more sensitive to pollutants than adults and yet they spend large amounts of time in school environments where they are exposed to unknown levels of indoor pollutants. This study investigated the concentrations of the most abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in eight naturally ventilated school buildings in Italy. The schools were chosen to include areas with different urbanization and traffic density characteristics in order to gather a more diverse picture of exposure risks in the different areas of the city. VOCs were sampled for one week in the presence/absence of pupils using diffusive samplers suitable for thermal desorption inside three classrooms at each school. The samples were then analyzed with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). In addition, outdoor measurements were carried out in the yard at each school. VOC identification and quantification, and indoor/outdoor concentration plots were used to identify pollutant sources. While some classrooms were found to have very low VOC levels, others had a significant indoor contribution or a prevalent outdoor contribution. High concentrations of terpenes were found in all monitored classrooms: a-pinene and limonene were in the range of 6.55-34.18 µg/m3 and 11.11-25.42 µg/m3 respectively. Outdoor concentrations were lower than indoors for each monitored school. Indicators based on health risk assessment for chronic health effects associated with VOCs (either carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic) were proposed to rank sites according to their hazard level.

A BTEX monitoring campaign, consisting of two weekly periods, was carried out in Bari, south-eastern Italy, in order to evaluate the impact of the vehicular traffic on the air quality at the main access roads of the city. Twenty-one sampling sites were selected: the pollution produced by the traffic in the vicinity of all exits from the ring road and some access roads to the city, those with higher traffic density, were monitored. Contemporarily the main meteorological parameters (ambient temperature, wind, atmospheric pressure and natural radioactivity) were investigated. It was found that in the same traffic conditions, barriers, buildings and local meteorological conditions can have important effects on the atmospheric dispersion of pollutants. This situation is more critical in downtown where narrow roads and high buildings avoid an efficient dispersion producing higher levels of BTEX. High spatial resolution monitoring allowed both detecting the most critical areas of the city with high precision and obtaining information on the mean level of pollution, meaning air quality standard of the city. The same concentration pattern and the correlation among BTEX levels in all sites confirmed the presence of a single source, the vehicular traffic, having a strong impact on air quality., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: A weekly monitoring campaign of volatile organic compounds (VOC), with single sampling of 24 h, was carried out in non-residential indoor environments such as libraries, pharmacies, offices, gymnasiums, etc., in order to evaluate the VOC concentrations to which people are exposed. Moreover, an outdoor sample was coupled to each indoor site to point out the influence of indoor sources. They were sampled with Radiello diffusive samplers for thermal desorption and analyzed by GC-MS. As already described in other papers, the VOC levels of most of the indoor sites were higher than that observed in the corresponding outdoor sites. For example, some sites showed a level of pollution that is ten times higher than their corresponding outdoor site. The monitored environments that had higher concentrations of the investigated VOC were the pharmacies, a newspaper stand, a copy center, and the coffee shops. Analysis of the weekly average concentrations of each pollutant and the use of literature allowed pointing out some site-specific characteristics that singled out possible sources of VOC. These results were verified analyzing the indoor-outdoor ratio (I/O) too. Newspaper stands were characterized by very high concentrations of toluene and pharmacies were characterized by high concentrations of aromatic compounds., Practical Implications: Indoor air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds (VOC) might affect human health at home as well as in public and commercial buildings. The main VOC sources in indoor environments are human activities, personal care products, smoking, house cleaning products, building products, and outside pollution. To preserve human health it is necessary to evaluate the average concentrations of VOC to which people are exposed and to identify the main sources of indoor pollution by means of suitable indoor monitoring campaigns in several environments. These investigations allow pointing out the characteristic critical situations of some indoor environments or some other types of environments.

Nuisance caused by odors is one of the most important problems for waste management plants. To control an odor nuisance, it must first be quantified. The analytical difficulties in odor measurements are related to the high number of volatile components (belonging to several chemical classes), above all when the concentration is lower than the detection limit of the technique used for the measurement. In this work, 2-butanone, alpha-pinene, tetrachloroethylene, dimethyldisulfide, beta-pinene, limonene, phenol and benzoic acid are determined, because they are representative of some important classes of compounds with higher odor impact. The compounds are sampled with thermal desorbable radial diffusive samplers Radiello containing Tenax cartridges. The analytical repeatability and the complete thermal desorption of the cartridges were verified for each odor compound; the relative standard deviations for repeated samples and the recovery percentage were, respectively, less than 7% and about 97% for all compounds. The measurements of the linearity of sampling showed no systematic difference according to the collection period. The comparison between the odor threshold and the limit of detection demonstrated that this method is reliable for the recognition and quantification of odor compounds, allowing Public Administration to impose legal limits and the control agencies to verify them.