Search results for "Trace element"

Trace element and PAH bioaccumulation in caged mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from an industrial area (Augusta Bay, SE Sicily)

2014

Analysis and assessment of trace element contamination in offshore sediments of the Augusta Bay (SE Sicily): A multivariate statistical approach base…

2014

Abstract An application of multivariate statistical methods is provided to identify anthropogenic contaminants and lithogenic elements in offshore sediments collected near the heavily industrialized Augusta Bay, Sicily. An exploratory statistical technique, based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and mixture density estimation approach, is used for distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic contributions of trace elements in the investigated sediments. Following the intensive industrialization of Augusta area, marine sediments reveal the severe impact of local anthropogenic activities for many elements (e.g. As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Sb), which are considered very dangerous for the en…

Trace elements and PAHs in surface sediments and biota from a contamination hot spot (Augusta Bay, Italy): potential export to the adjoining coastal …

2013

Trace metal contamination in a Mediterranean coastal pond (Acquatina, Apulia, Italy).

2010

The use of moss-bags technique for volcanic aerosols investigation on Mt. Etna (Italy)

2014

Explosive eruptions and volcanic passive degassing inject large quantities of gas and particles into the atmosphere that are ultimately deposited at the Earth’s surface through wet or dry deposition processes, affecting the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere. Mount Etna (Italy) is one of the most prodigious and persistent sources of gases and particles to the troposphere. Volcanic emissions were studied at Etna volcano by using moss-bags technique. Mosses (Sphagnum species) were exposed around the volcano at different distances from the active vents to evaluate the impact of its emissions into the atmosphere and in the local surrounding. The results confirmed the huge amount of s…

Impact of acidic volcanic emissions on ash leaching and on the bioavailability and mobility of trace metals in soils of Mt Etna

2021

We report on original geochemical data, which combine the rainfall trace metal contents from three different areas of Mt. Etna, variably fumigated by the volcanic plume, and those from soils, collected over the whole volcano. Trace element contents in rainfall appear mostly related to acidic ash leaching, while only for the most volatile elements (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, As, Sb, Tl, Se) we suggest a derivation from magmatic degassing. We analyzed separately the labile fraction of soil samples, considered the fraction bioavailable to plants and soil organisms living in. The complexing medium used to extract the bioavailable fraction simulates the growth environment of plant roots.The contents of tra…

Trace-element composition and stable-isotope ratio for discrimination of foods with Protected Designation of Origin

2009

We review the literature on authentication of foods with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from their trace-element composition or stable-isotope ratios in order to evaluate the state of the art of this field and to identify the main parameters of analytical techniques and chemometric-data treatments that permit accurate discrimination of samples of different geographical origins and with different characteristics.

Reproducibility of trace element time-series (Na/Ca, Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, Sr/Ca, and Ba/Ca) within and between specimens of the bivalve Arctica islandica – …

2017

Abstract Trace element time-series in bivalve mollusk shells and other (biogenic) materials can potentially serve as environmental proxies. Yet, the applicability of element-to-calcium ratios is often challenging, because non-environmental factors such as vital effects distort or mask environmental signals. If a trace element time-series is driven by an environmental factor, it should be reproducible within and between coeval specimens of the same species. In the present study, we tested whether time-series of trace element-to-calcium ratios can be reproduced within and between coeval specimens of the bivalve Arctica islandica and thus whether an external signal is encoded in the temporal v…

A trace element perspective on Archean crust formation and on the presence or absence of Archean subduction

2008

Source and Nature of Inhaled Atmospheric Dust from Trace Element Analyses of Human Bronchial Fluids

2011

International audience; Rapid volcanic eruptions quickly ejecting large amounts of dust provoke the accumulation of heavy metals in people living in surrounding areas. Analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage samples (BAL) collected from people exposed to the paroxysmal 2001 Etna eruption revealed a strong enrichment of many toxic heavy metals. Comparing the BAL to the dust composition of southeastern Sicily, we found that only V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and U enrichment could be related to the volcanic event, whereas Ni, Cu, Cd, and Pb contents come from the dissolution of particles of anthropogenic origin. Furthermore, the nature of these inhaled anthropogenic particles was revealed by anomalous La and…