title: PCDD/Fs and PCBs in ambient air in a highly industrialized city in northern Italy.
abstract: Ambient air samples were collected in five locations around a polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) production plant in a highly industrialized city in the north of Italy, for the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and PCBs. PCDD/F atmospheric concentrations were lower than those generally detected in urban areas, while PCB concentrations were higher than in urban and industrialized areas in other countries, especially in the locations closest to the plant. To identify source emissions responsible for air pollution we used principal component analysis (PCA) to compare the "fingerprint" of the air in Brescia with some source-related experimental and published data. This analysis showed that the PCDD/F fingerprints were more similar to steel plant emission data, while none of the PCB air patterns were comparable to emission profiles, indicating that different sources are responsible for the concentration of these two pollutants. The highest PCB concentrations detected in the areas closest to the chemical plant are indicative of its impact on the surrounding environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milan, Italy. andrea.colombo@marionegri.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benfenati
authors.forename: Simona Grazia
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bugatti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lodi
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Musmeci
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rotella
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Senese
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ziemacki
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fanelli
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D002947:Cities; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D007221:Industry; D007558:Italy; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls