Boonpeng Chaiwat, Sangiamdee Duangkamon, Noikrad Sutatip, Boonpragob Kansri
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Hua Mark, Bang Kapi, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand.
Lichen Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Hua Mark, Bang Kapi, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 May;30(21):59909-59924. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-26685-z. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
Poor air quality in school environments causes adverse health effects in children and decreases their academic performance. The main objective of this study was to use lichens as a biomonitoring tool for assessing outdoor air quality at schools in the industrial area of Laem Chabang municipality in Thailand. Thalli of the lichen Parmotrema tinctorum were transplanted from an unpolluted area to nine schools in the industrial area and to a control site. The lichens were exposed for four periods in the dry, hot, early rainy, and late rainy seasons, for 90 days each. The concentrations of 14 elements, including As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, and Zn, were determined using inductively coupled plasma‒mass spectrometry (ICP‒MS), and 8 physiological parameters were measured. The concentrations of all 14 investigated elements were clearly higher at the schools than at the control site. The contamination factors (CFs) suggested that 9 out of the 14 elements, including As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, and Ti, heavily contaminated the school environments, especially Pb, the concentration of which was 3 to 11 times higher than at the control site. The most polluted time was the hot season as evidenced by the investigated elements, and the least polluted time was the late rainy season. The pollution load indices (PLIs) demonstrated that schools in the inner and middle zones clearly had higher pollution loads than the schools in the outer zone during the rainy seasons, while the hot and dry seasons showed similar pollution levels in all zones. The vitality indices (VIs) showed that the lower lichen vitalities at most schools were observed during the dry season and at the schools in the inner and middle zones. Accordingly, the air performance indices (APIs) revealed that poorer air quality at most schools was found during the dry season and at the schools in the inner and middle zones. This study clearly showed that the transplanted lichen P. tinctorum was an effective bioindicator of air quality in school environments. The results illustrated that all studied schools were contaminated by air pollutants; therefore, improving air quality at the schools is crucial and should be an urgent issue for maintaining good health and may benefit children's academic achievements and careers in the long run.
学校环境中空气质量差会对儿童健康产生不利影响，并降低他们的学业成绩。本研究的主要目的是利用地衣作为生物监测工具，评估泰国林查班市工业区学校的室外空气质量。地衣染料衣（Parmotrema tinctorum）的叶状体从无污染地区移植到工业区的九所学校和一个对照地点。地衣在干燥、炎热、早雨和晚雨季节各暴露90天，共四个时期。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定了包括砷、镉、钴、铬、铜、铁、锰、钼、镍、铅、锑、钛、钒和锌在内的14种元素的浓度，并测量了8个生理参数。所有14种被调查元素在学校的浓度明显高于对照地点。污染因子（CFs）表明，14种元素中的9种，包括砷、镉、钴、铬、铜、钼、铅、锑和钛，严重污染了学校环境，尤其是铅，其浓度比对照地点高3至11倍。调查元素表明，污染最严重的时期是炎热季节，污染最轻的时期是晚雨季节。污染负荷指数（PLIs）表明，雨季期间，内区和中区的学校污染负荷明显高于外区学校，而炎热和干燥季节所有区域的污染水平相似。活力指数（VIs）表明，大多数学校的地衣活力较低出现在干燥季节以及内区和中区的学校。因此，空气性能指数（APIs）显示，大多数学校在干燥季节以及内区和中区的学校空气质量较差。本研究清楚地表明，移植的染料衣是学校环境空气质量的有效生物指标。结果表明，所有研究的学校都受到空气污染物的污染；因此，改善学校空气质量至关重要，这应该是维护良好健康的紧迫问题，从长远来看可能有利于儿童的学业成绩和职业发展。
