title: Assessment of spatial variability of heavy metals in Metropolitan Zone of Toluca Valley, Mexico, using the biomonitoring technique in mosses and TXRF analysis.
abstract: This study is aimed at assessing atmospheric deposition of heavy metals using the epiphytic moss genera Fabronia ciliaris collected from six urban sites in the Metropolitan Zone of the Toluca Valley in Mexico. The concentrations of K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, and Pb were determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence technique. Results show that the average metal concentration decrease in the following order: Fe (8207 mg/Kg) > Ca (7315 mg/Kg) > K (3842 mg/Kg) > Ti (387 mg/Kg) > Mn, Zn (191 mg/Kg) > Sr (71 mg/Kg) > Pb (59 mg/Kg) > Cu, V (32 mg/Kg) > Cr (24 mg/Kg) > Rb (13 mg/Kg) > Ni (10 mg/Kg). Enrichment factors show a high enrichment for Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb which provides an evidence of anthropogenic impact in the industrial and urban areas, mainly due to the intense vehicular traffic and the fossil fuel combustion. Monitoring techniques in mosses have proved to be a powerful tool for determining the deposition of heavy metals coming from diverse point sources of pollution.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Science Division, National Institute for Nuclear Research, Carretera México-Toluca S/N, La Marquesa, 52750 Ocoyoacac, MEX, Mexico. graciela.zarazua@inin.gob.mx
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zarazúa-Ortega
authors.forename: Josefina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poblano-Bata
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tejeda-Vega
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ávila-Pérez
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zepeda-Gómez
authors.forename: Huemantzin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Oliveros
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macedo-Miranda
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D044002:Bryophyta / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D008800:Mexico; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D019216:Metals, Heavy