Estimates of the economic damage due to the soiling of residential buildings induced by air pollution in Italy.

The soiling of the external façades of buildings caused by air pollution has economic costs that are generally not borne entirely by the polluters but by society in general. The present paper attempts to estimate the maintenance costs attributable to the soiling of the façades of residential buildings exposed to ambient air pollution in Italy. In this study, dose-response functions were used to link the environmental concentrations of pollutants to the soiling rate of the opaque and transparent surfaces of the building façades.

Mapping the susceptibility of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in Europe to ambient (outdoor) air pollution.

Air pollution, particularly in urban areas, is a concern for its negative effects on the materials of the built environment. Cities are also home to a large part of our cultural heritage. Air pollution accelerates the natural processes of deterioration of the materials of historic buildings and monuments, causing premature aging and reducing their aesthetic value.

Contribution of unburned lubricating oil and gasoline-derived n-alkanes to particulate emission from non-catalyst and catalyst-equipped two-stroke mopeds operated with synthetic lubricating oil.

This study investigated the contribution of unburned lubricating oil and gasoline-derived n-alkanes to particulate emission from non-catalyst and catalyst-equipped two-stroke (2-S) mopeds operated with ester-based, fully synthetic lubricating oil. Exhaust particulate matter (PM) from ten 2-S, 50 cm3 mopeds belonging to three different levels of emission legislation (EURO-0, EURO-1 and EURO-2) was collected during the sampling phase of the ECE 47 driving cycle through which each mopeds was driven on a dynamometer bench. Filters containing PM were extracted with an accelerated solvent extractor and analysed by gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from non-catalysed, in-use four-stroke scooters.

The emissions of particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated in the exhaust of four (two EURO-0 and two EURO-1) four-stroke engine, in-use scooters with displacement of 150 cc, which were not equipped with catalytic converters. Non-catalysed motorcycles still represent a large proportion of circulating two-wheelers in Italy and, possibly, also in other countries. Tests were performed on a dynamometer bench, using the ECE-40 test cycle procedure.

Distribution of pre- and post-Chernobyl radiocaesium with particle size fractions of soils.

The association of radiocaesium with particle size fractions separated by sieving and settling from soils sampled eight years after the Chernobyl accident has been determined. The three size fractions were: <2 microm, 2-63 microm and >63 microm. 137Cs in the soil samples was associated essentially with the finer size fractions, which generally showed specific activities 3-5 times higher than the bulk samples.