title: Declining trends of PCDD/Fs in lichens over a decade in a Mediterranean area with multiple pollution sources.
abstract: Lichens are one of the most useful environmental biomonitors, due to their ability to clearly reflect atmospheric deposition of pollutants. Dioxin and furan (PCDD/F) emissions have been reported to be decreasing in North European countries as a consequence of European regulations. This reduction has been perceptible across several environmental matrices, but it hasn't yet been shown in lichens as typical biomonitors of atmospheric pollution. In this work we compared concentrations of PCDD/Fs in two lichen species collected in a Mediterranean area with mixed land-uses, encompassing urban, industrial and natural areas, in 2009 and 2011 with the ones obtained in the same species collected in the same region in 2000. We found that PCDD/F concentrations in both lichen species have decreased approximately 70% since 2000 whereas industrial emissions have only decreased 25% for the same period. This substantial greater reduction observed in lichens may be due to several causes; after excluding fires as a possible explanation, we point out that possible causes could not only be the overall decrease in industrial emissions but also other causes such as traffic reduction and/or increase efficiency in the use of fuels. Capsule: PCDD/F concentrations in lichens have decreased 70% over the last decade, whereas industrial emissions have only decreased 25%.
authors.affiliation: CE3C-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, Piso 5, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; TECNATOX Group, Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, C/ Països Catalans, n° 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain. Electronic address: s.augusto@fc.ul.pt.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Augusto
authors.affiliation: CE3C-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, Piso 5, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa (CERENA-IST-UL), Portugal. Electronic address: paplopes@fc.ul.pt.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pinho
authors.affiliation: CE3C-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, Piso 5, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: artur.santos.all@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Secil Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: maria.joao.botelho@secil.pt.
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Botelho
authors.affiliation: Secil Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento, Lisboa, Portugal; FP-University of Lisbon, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: jpalma-oliveira@fp.ul.pt.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palma-Oliveira
authors.affiliation: CE3C-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, Piso 5, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: cmbranquinho@fc.ul.pt.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Branquinho
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008011:Lichens / Q000737:chemistry*; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins
keywords: Air quality; Biomonitors; Dioxins and furans; Industrial; Lichens; POPs; Urban