RSN-type material has been prepared exclusively from Zn containing systems under the studied reaction conditions.

Fine aerosol pollution is one of the most important factors in air pollution monitoring. Industrial production often represents significant source of aerosol pollution in surrounding areas, and therefore, it is important to understand its impact on air quality. In order to investigate contribution coming from the oil refinery to air pollution, PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm) samples were collected in the vicinity of an oil refinery during the 1‐year period. At the same time, PM2.5 was sampled in the city of Rijeka, Croatia, at the distance that is about 10 km far from the refinery. This site was used for comparison. The sampling was performed with two cyclone samplers on thin polytetrafluoroethylene filters. PM2.5 was sampled for 24 h every other day, simultaneously at both locations. In total, 306 samples were collected. The samples were analysed using X‐ray fluorescence and particle‐induced X‐ray emission to obtain concentrations of 17 elements from Na to Pb. Additionally, concentrations of black carbon were determined using laser‐integrated plate method. It was found that concentrations of S, V, and Ni, elements characteristic for oil burning, were substantially higher at the refinery sampling site comparing to the reference location. Obtained concentrations were statistically evaluated by performing positive matrix factorization to identify oil refinery as one of the pollution sources in the vicinity of such a facility. The same method was also performed at the urban site where the contribution from oil refinery was not separated from other similar sources.

During metal welding and cutting, large amounts of particulate matter (PM) are produced that might represent a significant health risk for the exposed workers. In the present pilot study, we performed an elemental analysis of fine PM collected in a metal workshop. Also, elemental analysis of the hair and nail samples collected from workers exposed to the workshop dust and control group was done. Concentrations of 15 elements in PM were measured with X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), whereas inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine 12 elements in hair and nail samples. Mean 8-hr concentrations of PM 2.5 , Fe, and Mn in the vicinity of welders were up to 1803, 860, and 30 μg/m 3 , respectively, whereas in the nearby city, daily PM 2.5 concentrations are on average 11 μg/m 3. We found that several elements, especially Fe and Mn, had substantially higher concentrations in hair and nail samples of exposed workers than in the control group, which indicates the accumulation of metals in workers' tissues, although limit values were not exceeded.

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Abstract. In this study, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was collected inside the metal workshop located in the suburb of the City of Rijeka, Croatia. The high intensity of welding and plasma cutting is characteristic for this metal workshop and, therefore, high levels of very fine metal aerosols were expected. The fine aerosol sampling on thin Teflon filters and subsequent XRF elemental analysis were performed. The sampling in the workshop was conducted in two sampling periods in May and November 2016. In total, 64 samples were collected, out of which 28 were 12-hours samples and 36 were hourly samples. Additionally, Trotec Optical Particle Counter PC220 was used to measure concentrations for 6 different optical sizes (0.3 µm, 0.5 µm, 1 µm, 2.5 µm, 5 µm and 10 µm) to obtain the particle size distribution. The sample analysis was carried out with X-Ray Fluorescence technique at the Laboratory for Elemental Microanalysis at the Department of Physics, University of Rijeka. Heavy metals such as Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb were detected. The results were compared to the average daily concentrations measured in the city centre. Concentrations of all measured metals in indoor air in our study were significantly higher than in the samples collected outdoors. The highest indoor/outdoor ratio was obtained for Fe and Mn. Weekly and daily variations of heavy metal concentrations were also analysed. As expected, the results showed that weekly and diurnal variations of metal concentrations follow the work intensity in the workshop. The particle size distribution shows that sub-micron particles are present in much higher concentrations than coarse particles. This indicates the harmfulness of welding fumes.