A multi-year source apportionment of PM2.5 at multiple sites in the southern Po Valley (Italy)

Scotto, Fabiana; Bacco, Dimitri; Lasagni, Stefano; Trentini, Arianna; Poluzzi, Vanes; Vecchi, R.

doi:10.1016/j.apr.2021.101192

Cited by 26 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 146 publications

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“…The best model, however, mitigated the impact of aged sea salt, resulting in a more reasonable intrinsic OP value of 0.17, which was less significant than biomass burning (0.3) and traffic (0.19). As suggested in previous research, this elevated intrinsic OP value for aged sea salt in GRE-fr can be attributed to potentially toxic components mixed with salts actually used for road salting in winter, especially during severe thermal inversion events in the valley environments (8)(9)(10)(11). These studies have indicated that during thermal inversion events, a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground, accumulating pollutants over time, potentially during thermal inversion events through photochemical reactions.…”

Section: Relationships Between the Regression Analysis Residuals And ...supporting

confidence: 53%

Supplementary material to "Unveiling the optimal regression model for source apportionment of the oxidative potential of PM"

Dinh Ngoc Thuy,

Jaffrezo,

Hough

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Section: Relationships Between the Regression Analysis Residuals And ...supporting

confidence: 53%

Supplementary material to "Unveiling the optimal regression model for source apportionment of the oxidative potential of PM"

Dinh Ngoc Thuy,

Jaffrezo,

Hough

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…The results highlight how the total of PM 10 concentration is due to a series of causes (agriculture, domestic heating, industrial processes, and road transport); then not only to the traffic emissions heavily impacted by the lockdown ( ARPA Lombardia, 2020 ). These results can help in explaining, the lack of average decrease of PM concentrations, that should correspond to the reduced emissions, since the strong secondary inorganic fraction of this pollutant and on the high availability of ammonia emissions, leading to the formation of ammonium nitrates and ammonium sulphates and on not reduced emission of primary fraction coming from domestic heating ( Carnevale et al, 2018 ; Scotto et al, 2021 ; Lonati et al, 2008 ). For these reasons, a strong PM 10 reduction cannot be expected in this area without the reduction of agriculture and domestic heating ( ARPA Lombardia, 2019 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Analysis of the lockdown effects due to the COVID-19 on air pollution in Brescia (Lombardy)

Bontempi

Carnevale

Cornelio

et al. 2022

Environmental Research

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“…SIA can represent more than 50% of PM10 concentrations during the critical episodes of air pollution (Lanzani, 2017). The contribution of SIA is homogeneous over the Po Valley (Scotto et al, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Improving air quality and health in Northern Italy: limits and perspectives

Robotto

Barbero

Cremonini

et al. 2022

Preprint

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A better air quality has led to a significant reduction of premature deaths over the past decade in Europe, as emissions of many pollutants declined considerably in the EU-27 Member States: SOx emissions by 76%, NOx by 42%, NMVOCs by 29% and PM2.5 by 29%. The present paper reports an in-depth analysis of the reasons why the regions of the Po valley, Northern Italy, still have difficulties to comply with EU air quality standards, in particular for PM10 and NO2, in spite of strong emission reductions carried out through careful Air Quality Plans put in practice during the last 2 decades. The analysis includes a consistent comparison of emission inventories for different European regions in Italy, Germany and Poland, the measured air quality trends and PM source apportionment in these areas, and, most of all, a thorough investigation of meteorological parameters influencing atmospheric pollutant dispersion and transport. The study reports that in the colder seasons, wind speed, PBL height and atmospheric pressure occurring in the Po basin are three to five times less efficient in diluting and dispersing pollutant if compared to regions north of the Alps. Due to the extremely disadvantageous orographic and climatic configuration of the Po Valley, only radical emission reductions could bring air quality into EU limit values with a questionable cost-benefit ratio of due policies. Provided that air quality standards (particularly for PM10 and PM2.5) aim at protecting people from adverse health effects arising from air pollution, it is however necessary to also consider the toxicity of atmospheric particulate in addition to PM10/PM2.5 mass concentration as a limit value. Based on existing toxicological studies and reports, a discussion is reported about PM toxicity factor depending on toxicity scores for source-specific aerosols and PM composition determined by Source Apportionment. Provided that PM components profiles are strongly different across Europe, the obtained PM toxicity factors range from 0.3 (for areas where the main PM contribution is referable to sea salts or inorganic matter) to 3.5 (where Elemental and Organic Carbon prevail), suggesting that, even at the same mass concentration, the effects of PM10/2.5 on human health are significantly variable and limit values should take into account differential toxicity. Modern PM Source Apportionment techniques, along with reliable toxicity and epidemiological analyses, represent the right tools to overcome the shortcomings of the current regulation standard and build a new consistent health metric for ambient PM in the future, helping policy makers impose effective air quality measures to protect people health.

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A multi-year source apportionment of PM2.5 at multiple sites in the southern Po Valley (Italy)

Cited by 26 publications

References 146 publications

Supplementary material to "Unveiling the optimal regression model for source apportionment of the oxidative potential of PM"

Supplementary material to "Unveiling the optimal regression model for source apportionment of the oxidative potential of PM"

Analysis of the lockdown effects due to the COVID-19 on air pollution in Brescia (Lombardy)

Improving air quality and health in Northern Italy: limits and perspectives

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