[Air quality assessment in an urban-industrial area: the Taranto case study].

OBJECT

The chemical-physical characterization of suspended particulate matter and particulate deposition, heavy metals and benzo[a]pyrene, found in the town of Taranto and the nearby industrial area (steelworks, cement production, refinery).

DESIGN

Atmospheric deposition Bulks, air of High Volume (HV) samplers equipped with PM10 probe and total suspended particulate matter samplers were used.

SETTING

4 sites of monitoring in different urban areas: two of them close to the cokery, one near the school, and the last one in the town of Statte (Taranto).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Determination of suspended and deposition particulate matter concentration, further determination of heavy metal concentration in the suspended and deposition particulate matter, and determination of BaP concentration.

RESULTS

Data evidenced that in the site of Tamburi Cemetery (near the cokery) suspended particulate matter PM10 concentrations vary with the different seasons (warm period: 67 microg/m3, cold period: 39 microg/m3). Lead concentrations are lower than the national limit (0,5 microg/m3); for those heavy metals not yet regulated by law, values are comparable with other industrial areas. Deposition particulate matter concentrations found nearby the steelworks (warm period: 699 mg/m2d, cold period 575 mg/m2d), vary in each different monitoring site. In the town of Statte (Taranto) the concentrations found are: 236 mg/m2d in the warm period, and 154 mg/m2d in the cold period. BaP concentrations for PM10 found in the area of Tamburi near the cookery are the following: 1,9 ng/m3 in the warm period, and 2,6 ng/m3 in the cold period.

CONCLUSION

A very compromised situation is found in the area under study as regard air quality, especially the particulate matter in its different fractions and its content of organic and inorganic pollutants.