Bags with oven-dried moss for the active monitoring of airborne trace elements in urban areas

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 157; no. 10; pp. 2798 - 2805
• Main Authors: Giordano, S., Adamo, P., Monaci, F., Pittao, E., Tretiach, M., Bargagli, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: 6-week exposure; Active biomonitoring; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - metabolism; air pollution; Airborne trace elements; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Bags; bioaccumulation; Bryophyta - chemistry; Bryophyta - metabolism; Cities; Devices; Environmental Exposure; environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - instrumentation; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; indicator species; Lichens; Monitoring; Moss; Moss and lichen bags; mosses and liverworts; Naples urban environment; Oven-dried moss; Ovens; Pollution; temporal variation; Trace elements; Trace Elements - analysis; Trace Elements - metabolism; Urban areas; weather; Italy; Campania; Europe; Airborne trace elements; Moss and lichen bags; Oven-dried moss; Naples urban environment; Active biomonitoring; 6-week exposure; Musci; Bryophyta; Biological indicator; Air quality; Urban area; Biological monitoring; Heavy metal; Coarse particle; Fungi; Trace element; Aerosols; Active detection; Lichenes; Air pollution; Pretreatment
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.04.020

To define a harmonized methodology for the use of moss and lichen bags as active monitoring devices of airborne trace elements in urban areas, we evaluated the element accumulation in bags exposed in Naples in different spring weather conditions for 6- and 12-weeks. Three different pre-exposure treatments were applied to moss and lichen materials: water-washing, acid-washing and oven-drying. During the different exposure periods in the Naples urban environment the moss accumulated always higher amounts of elements (except Hg) than lichens and the element accumulation increased during wetter weather and higher PM
10 conditions. The oven pre-treatment did not substantially modify the morphology and element composition of moss and the exposure in bags of this material for 6-weeks was sufficient to detect the pattern of airborne trace elements.
A 6-week exposure with oven-dried moss bags resulted a suitable approach to evaluate airborne trace elements in a Mediterranean urban environment.