2011 - 2019
Subproject 3: AN INTEGRAL RESEARCH ON THE AIR QUALITY IN URBAN AREAS
Due to its dense population, traffic, combustion of fossil fuels and industrial activities, urban areas are specific considering air quality assessment, environment protection and pollution health risk assessment. Monitoring of heavy metals, radionuclides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, as well as of meteorological parameters, ozone concentration and UV radiation enables the evaluation of the stability of atmosphere and modeling of atmospheric processes due to global climate changes. Development of the method to measure aerosols vertical profiles (LIDAR) is of special importance as in Serbia there are no methodology for coordinated transboundary monitoring of the transport of Sahara dust and other episodes of increased content of aerosols in the atmosphere; this is aimed for participation of our country in the European LIDAR network for monitoring and verifying the models of long distance aerosols transport. The methods for determine the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by mass spectrometry based on proton transfer (PTR-MS), as significant precursors of ozone and aerosols, that are also to be developed, should provide the base for the research of atmospheric reactions due to climate conditions and changes.
Within the subproject, the following activities are to be performed:
1. Measurements of the vertical aerosols profiles by long distance detection method (development and application of LIDAR system). 2. Investigations of the concentrations, distributions, transport and interactions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM1), ozone, meteorological parameters, UV radiation and radon-222, as indicators of the stability of the atmosphere and dispersion of the polluting matter. 3. Biomonitoring: higher plants (leaves and tree rings) and mosses biomonitors of heavy metals and radionuclides in urban area. 4. Monitoring of radionuclides (Be-7, Pb-210, Cs-137) in ground level air as indicators of atmospheric processes, air masses transport and source pollution identification. 5. Determination of the contents of heavy metals and radionuclides in soils and its distribution in the "soil- plant- air" system in urban area (city parks). 6. Development of the methods to measure the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by mass spectrometry based on proton transfer (PTR-MS). 7. Development and implementation of X-ray fluorescence method (XRF) method for element analysis in different environmental media: soil, aerosol filters and plant material. 8. Application of the receptor models for identification of different emission sources and source apportionment. 9. Health risk assessment due to the presence of radionuclides, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds in urban air (inhalation from air, ingestion of dust resuspended from soil and absorption through skin), according to UNCEAR and Monte-Carlo methodology.