We are showing that the Deligne-Beilinson cohomology sheaves H q+1 (Z(q) D ) are torsion free by assuming Kato's conjectures hold true for function fields. This result is 'effective' for q = 2; in this case, by dealing with 'arithmetic properties' of the presheaves of mixed Hodge structures defined by singular cohomology, we are able to give a cohomological characterization of the Albanese kernel for surfaces with p g = 0.