Lichen biomonitoring to assess spatial variability, potential sources and human health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and airborne metal concentrations in Manchester (UK).

Airborne metals and organic pollutants are linked to severe human health impacts, i.e. affecting the nervous system and being associated with cancer.

High spatial resolution assessment of air quality in urban centres using lichen carbon, nitrogen and sulfur contents and stable-isotope-ratio signatures.

Air pollution and poor air quality is impacting human health globally and is a major cause of respiratory and cardiovascular disease and damage to human organ systems. Automated air quality monitoring stations continuously record airborne pollutant concentrations, but are restricted in number, costly to maintain and cannot document all spatial variability of airborne pollutants. Biomonitors, such as lichens, are commonly used as an inexpensive alternative to assess the degree of pollution and monitor air quality.

Rapid SABRE Catalyst Scavenging Using Functionalized Silicas.

In recent years the NMR hyperpolarisation method signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) has been applied to multiple substrates of potential interest for in vivo investigation. Unfortunately, SABRE commonly requires an iridium-containing catalyst that is unsuitable for biomedical applications. This report utilizes inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to investigate the potential use of metal scavengers to remove the iridium catalytic species from the solution.

Distinguishing atmospheric nitrogen compounds (nitrate and ammonium) in lichen biomonitoring studies.

Nitrogen speciation, distinguishing nitrate (NO) and ammonium (NH), is commonly undertaken in soil studies, but has not been conducted extensively for lichens. Lichen total nitrogen contents (N wt%) reflect airborne atmospheric nitrogen loadings, originating from anthropogenic sources ( vehicular and agricultural/livestock emissions). Albeit nitrogen being an essential lichen nutrient, nitrogen compound ( NO and NH) concentrations in the atmosphere can have deleterious effects on lichens.

Spatiotemporal variability of nitrogen dioxide (NO) pollution in Manchester (UK) city centre (2017-2018) using a fine spatial scale single-NO diffusion tube network.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO) is linked to poor air quality and severe human health impacts, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and being responsible annually for approximately 23,500 premature deaths in the UK. Automated air quality monitoring stations continuously record pollutants in urban environments but are restricted in number (need for electricity, maintenance and trained operators), only record air quality proximal to their location and cannot document variability of airborne pollutants at finer spatial scales. As an alternative, passive sampling devices such as Palmes-type diffusion tubes can be used to assess the spatial variability of air quality in greater detail, due to their simplicity (e.