Levels and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) near hospitals and schools using leaves and barks of Sambucus nigra and Acacia melanoxylon.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most studied organic compounds in urban environments, due to their known threat to human health. This study extends the current knowledge regarding the ability of different vegetative parts of different tree species to accumulate PAHs. Moreover, exposure intensity to PAHs in areas frequented by population susceptible to adverse health effects of air pollution is evaluated.

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Leaf and Bark Samples of Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic compounds coming from natural or anthropogenic activities. Tree organs such as leaves and barks have been used to monitor urban air quality and have achieved remarkable ecological importance. However, the potential of many tree species as biomonitors is still unknown and efforts should be focused on conducting studies that analyze their capabilities with a viable analytical method.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Needles in Urban Areas: Evaluation of Sources and Road Characteristics.

needles were collected in urban areas of the city of Quito, Ecuador, to analyze the relationship between the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with different emission sources and road characteristics. The PAHs were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and included naphthalene (Naph), benzo[]anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chry), and benzo[]pyrene (BaP), which are related to the sources considered in this work. The results indicated that some streets with moderate and low traffic intensity had higher total concentrations of PAHs than streets with high traffic intensity, showing the importance of non-traffic related emission sources and road characteristics on PAH emissions.

The effect of national protest in Ecuador on PM pollution.

Particulate matter (PM) accounts for millions of premature deaths in the human population every year. Due to social and economic inequality, growing human dissatisfaction manifests in waves of strikes and protests all over the world, causing paralysis of institutions, services and circulation of transport. In this study, we aim to investigate air quality in Ecuador during the national protest of 2019, by studying the evolution of PM (PM ≤ 2.

Assessment of metals in PM filters and needles in two areas of Quito, Ecuador.

The reliability of needles as a biomonitor was evaluated by analyzing the concentration of metals in PM filters and in needles. The sampling campaign was carried out at two sites in the city of Quito, Ecuador, in 2017-2019. Concentrations of Cr, Cu, K, Mn, Pb, Zn, Ca, Fe, Al and Mg were determined in PM filters and in needles using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

Seasonal variations in PM inorganic composition in the Andean city.

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the key pollutants causing health risks worldwide. While the preoccupation for increased concentrations of these particles mainly depends on their sources and thus chemical composition, some regions are yet not well investigated. In this work the composition of chemical elements of atmospheric PM (particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 10 µm), collected at the urban and suburban sites in high elevation tropical city, were chemically analysed during the dry and wet seasons of 2017-2018.