260 research outputs found
Experimental and statistical investigations on atmospheric heavy metals concentrations in an industrial area of Southern Italy
No full textIn this paper we present experimental protocol and statistical proceduresfor evaluating atmospheric concentrationsof TSP and heavy metals(Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the area of Tito Scalo (PZ, Southern Italy), a small industrial site, far from urban areas and surrounded by agricultural and naturalistic sites. In order to characterise the concentrations level and the temporal pattern of each pollutant, we have analysed data collected in two field surveys (April-December 1997, April-December 1998) with univariate and multivariate statistical methods.
Furthermore we have investigated the relationships between pollutants concentrationsand meteoclimatic parameters(temp erature and rainfalls)
Input strategy analysis for an air quality data modelling procedure at a local scale based on neural network
No full textIn recent years, a significant part of the studies on air pollutants has been devoted to improve statistical techniques for forecasting the values of their concentrations in the atmosphere. Reliable predictions of pollutant trends are essential not only for setting up preventive measures able to avoid risks for human health but also for helping stakeholders to take decision about traffic limitations. In this paper, we present an operating procedure, including both pollutant concentration measurements (CO, SO2, NO2, O3, PM10) and meteorological parameters (hourly data of atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind speed), which improves the simple use of neural network for the prediction of pollutant concentration trends by means of the integration of multivariate statistical analysis. In particular, we used principal component analysis in order to define an unconstrained mix of variables able to improve the performance of the model. The developed procedure is particularly suitable for characterizing the investigated phenomena at a local scale
Influence of Climatic Conditions and Atmospheric Pollution on Admission to Emergency Room During Warm Season: The Case Study of Bari
No full textThe study of the effects of climate change and air pollution on human health
is an interesting topic for wellbeing projects in urban areas. We present a method for
highlighting how adverse weather and environmental conditions affect human health and influence emergency room admissions during the summer in an urban area. Daily apparent temperature, a biometeorological index, was used to characterize thermal discomfort while atmospheric concentrations of PM10 and NOX were used as indicators of unfavorable environmental conditions. We analyzed how the above parameters influence the emergency room access, considering all the different pathologies. Over the four years analyzed, we identified the periods during which environmental conditions (both thermal discomfort and pollutant concentrations) were unfavorable, the persistence of these conditions, and verified that during these days, the average daily number of emergency room visits increased. Visits for ENT and dermatological disorders also showed significant increases. Our analysis showed that emergency room access is useful in evaluating the impact of unfavorable climatic and environmental conditions on human health during the summer period; viceversa, our results could be used to optimize resource management in emergency rooms during this specific period of the year
Pollution levels in the industrial area of Potenza (Southern Italy)
No full textA monitoring procedure based on soil magnetic susceptibility measurements seems to be an interesting method to evaluate in real time the presence and distribution of soil pollutants on large areas in a not-invasive and not-expensive way. In this paper, we present the results of an in situ field survey aimed to evaluate level and distribution of pollutants in an industrial area by means of magnetic susceptibility measurements used as proxy variable. We carried out the field survey in the industrial area of Potenza, characterized by the presence of industrial settlements, many commercial activities and a high traffic volume in all the area. Results show that soil magnetic susceptibility measurements are a good indicator of the anthropogenic impact, mainly from urban busses pollution and iron industry smelting. In relation to this type of contamination, magnetic susceptibility may be used as a useful tool for the first screening of polluted zones
Source profiles of heavy metals in atmospheric particulate: the influence of the particle size and the local meteorological conditions
No full textSource origin and parameters influencing levels of heavy metals in TSP, in an industrial background area of Southern Italy
No full textThe application of an integrated GIS procedure for characterising TSP industrial emissions impact: a test case in Southern Italy
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