, a period characterised by two episodes of Saharan dust outbreaks in Italy, particulate matter (PM) samples were collected at two stations (urban and suburban) in Rome. Some samples were selected and analysed using the SEM-EDS technique to characterise PM, focussing especially on the mineral contribution. Samples were representative both of days affected by Saharan dust episodes and days without this contribution. Cluster analysis allowed the attribution of each of about 67 000 analysed particles to one of the seven main statistical groups based on their composition. Characteristics of the particulate components identified using SEM-EDS analysis were verified by PIXE analysis carried out on filters collected in a suburban area. Ultimately, the contribution of crustal particles was revealed to be consistently high, highlighting the importance of local and regional mineral contributions, as well as those of Saharan origin. Therefore, quantifying all mineral contributions to resuspended particulate could lead to significant reductions of the PM level also on days not influenced by Saharan dust, thus limiting conditions when PM 10 daily limit value (DLV) established by European legislation is exceeded.

The relevance of dust outbreaks from the Sahara into Italy was evaluated for the period from 2001 to 2007. To this end, days affected by Saharan dust were recognized at four PM(10) background stations belonging to the Regional Agencies for Environmental Protection (ARPA) monitoring networks (one working in the 2005-2007 period only). The analysis included computation of back trajectories, complemented with satellite images and meteorological charts. Results from other models are also collected for comparison. Saharan Dust contribution to PM(10) was calculated referring to a method developed for Iberian monitoring networks. PM(10) exceeding the daily limit value (DLV) of the European Union air quality standard were reviewed also. The provenience of air masses yielding the exceedances was also recognized, allowing to distinguish the Atlantic-European episodes from the (Atlantic)-Saharan ones. The European episodes are due to anthropogenic pollution that affected mainly northern Italy in winter; instead, the Saharan ones are due to dust outbreaks that affected mainly southern Italy in summer. Central Italy is characterised by a transitional situation that is experienced from north to south. A number of dust affected days with DLV exceedance (from 4 to 108 at the considered stations) were identified and grouped into 55 Saharan dust episodes. Analysis showed that DLV exceedances due to Saharan dust advection vanish at all stations when dust contributions are subtracted. A synoptic analysis based on the meteorological charts was carried out allowing a view of Saharan dust transport into Italy for each meteorological season. Notwithstanding that summer is the season most influenced by Saharan episodes at all of the stations, the analysis showed a low-high system of anomalies on the geopotential height distribution causing south-southwesterly flow carrying dust into Italy during the other seasons.

A radiological survey on the iron- and steel-making plant ILVA Taranto (Italy) was mainly focused on contamination source-term investigation and exposure impact evaluation of the volatile radionuclides 210Po and 210Pb. The activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb in the raw materials, dust particles, surficial soils and atmospheric particulate samples collected in the area of ILVA Taranto were determined. The results showed that the activity concentrations in the raw materials were in the range of 3.46-17.9 Bq kg(-1) for 210Po and 3.50-16.8 Bq kg(-1) for 210Pb, which could create maximum annual inventories of 2.64 × 1011 Bq of 210Po and 2.71 × 1011 Bq of 210Pb if a total quantity of 22 Mt per year raw materials was consumed in the plant. The activity concentrations in dust particles emitted from the chimney of the ILVA Taranto were in the range of 5.91-85.6 kBq kg(-1) for 210Po and 5.44-34.6 kBq kg(-1) for 210Pb, releasing more 210Po than 210Pb. The activity concentrations in surficial soils were in the range of 49.3-140 Bq kg(-1) for 210Po and 51.6-150 Bq kg(-1) for 210Pb, a variation of the activity concentrations being observable with distance. The activity concentrations in atmospheric particulate were in the range of 43.1-564 μBq m(-3) for 210Po and 618-1099 μBq m(-3) for 210Pb, and it was observed that the mass specific activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb in the atmospheric particulate are one to three orders of magnitude higher than that found in the top soil. After deduction of the background contribution, about 27.2 μSv per year of the estimated committed effective dose at mean and 49.2 μSv per year at maximum could be attributed to 210Po and 210Pb emitted from the chimney of the ILVA Taranto and inhaled by the public in the form of atmospheric particulate, of which about 63.5-69.0% was the contribution of 210Pb. No specific interventions should be required, as far as only inhalation of 210Po and 210Pb are concerned.

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In 2015 the European Joint Research Center (JRC) for air quality in Ispra, Italy, carried out an intercomparison for the determination of PM10 and PM2.5 in ambient air. Five laboratories also analyzed the content of heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel) in PM10 from filter samples collected during the intercomparison. Thus, all steps from sampling in the field to instrumental quantification of heavy metals in the laboratory could be statistically analyzed. The different techniques of sampling and sample work-up had no significant influence on the analysis results. However, the method of instrumental analysis strongly influenced them: The results of laboratories using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) coincided well in most cases. For laboratories using the Energy Dispersed X-Ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) technique the uncertainty of the results strongly depended on the metal concentration. For cadmium the concentrations generally were too low for analysis by ED-XRF, for arsenic, lead and nickel the relative uncertainties decreased exponentially with increasing concentrations. The relation between metal concentration and the relative uncertainty of analysis results could be described as power functions. Analysis of lead and nickel by ED-XRF is well possible in the range of the EU limit and target values for these metals.