Trainee Kira Zeider Assess the Efficacy of Foliar Surfaces to Sample Aerosol Pollutants in Ambient Air
July 13, 2021
University of Arizona Superfund Research Center (UA SRC) Trainee Kira Zeider just published a journal article in Science of the Total Environment, “Foliar Surfaces as Dust and Aerosol Pollution Monitors: An Assessment by a Mining Site.”
This article discusses how recent studies in the southwestern United States have shown that smelting processes and mine tailings emit heavy metal(loid)s that are distributed via wind dispersion to nearby communities. With increased attention to the effect of air pollution on environmental health, communities have begun to use citizen and community-based monitoring techniques to measure the concentration of metal(loid)s and evaluate their air quality.
The study was conducted in a mining community to assess the efficacy of foliar, or leafy, surfaces as compared to an inverted disc (frisbee) to sample aerosol pollutants in ambient air. The assessment was conducted by evaluating element (arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, aluminum, nickel and zinc) concentrations versus distance from a former smelter, statistical and regression analyses, and enrichment factor calculations compared to similar sites worldwide.
Both the foliar and frisbee collection methods had a decrease in metal(loid)s concentration as a function of distance from the retired smelter. Statistical calculations show that the collection methods had similar mean concentrations for all metal(loid)s of interest; however, the tests also indicate that the frisbee collection method generally collected more dust than the foliar method.
The enrichment factors from both collection methods were comparable to similar studies by other mining areas referenced, except for aluminum. Since there is evidence of enrichment, correlation between methods, and citizen/community science potential, these efforts show promise for the field.
Further studies should consider alternating the types of plant used for foliar collection as well as collecting samples on a more frequent basis to sufficiently categorize results based on meteorological conditions.
Publication:
Zeider K, Van Overmeiren N, Rine KP, Sandhaus S, Saez AE, Sorooshian A, Munoz HC, Ramirez-Andreotta MD. Foliar Surfaces as Dust and Aerosol Pollution Monitors: An Assessment by a Mining Site. Science of the Total Environment. Volume 790, 2021, 148164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148164