Quantification and distribution od polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals in atmospheric particulate matter and surface soils and street dusts in the University of São Paulo campi (Butantã and EACH) and vicinity

• Grant number: 10/20835-1
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: May 01, 2011 - October 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Christine Laure Marie Bourotte
• Grantee: Christine Laure Marie Bourotte
• Home Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Adalgiza Fornaro ; Andrea Cavicchioli ; Maria Cristina Forti ; Mary Rosa Rodrigues de Marchi ; Regina Maura de Miranda

Abstract

Urban soils are submitted to intense human activities associated to building, industrial activities and high vehicular traffic. Soil pollution by trace metals and PAHs have been related in various studies under different soil occupation (residential, industrial, etc.) principally in North Hemisphere and Asia and show different pattern of contamination depending on soil occupation. However, quantitative data and information about their behavior in urban and natural tropical soils are scarce and the processes not enough understood. Recently, focusing atmospheric-surface interactions and transfer of pollutants in superficial soils via atmospheric particulate matter, studies focused street dusts since it is considered one of the sources of particulate matter in urban atmosphere, it may be easily re-suspended and it also considered a pollutant source for superficial water, soils and vegetation through superficial runoff of urban streets. Only a few studies allow evaluating the concentration and size of these particles and understanding their control factors and chemical composition. Considering that (i) soil is a pollutant receptor, (ii) trace metals and PAHs are transported into the atmosphere, (iii) PAHs are persistent organic pollutants and may be used as an anthropogenic source tracers in environment and (iv) information about occurrence and distributions of PAHs in urban and tropical soils are scarce, the purpose of this project is determining PAHs and trace metals concentration and spatial distribution in urban superficial soils and street dusts and their correlation with atmospheric particulate matter in the campi of the University of São Paulo, inserted in the western and eastern areas of São Paulo city, respectively. Thus, this study may be contribute for a better understanding of atmosphere-surface interactions and pollutants transfer in surface soils by atmospheric particulate matter and consequently a poorly studying environmental aspect in Brazil. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BOUROTTE, CHRISTINE L. M.; SUGAUARA, LUCY E.; DE MARCHI, MARY R. R.; SOUTO-OLIVEIRA, CARLOS E. Trace metals and PAHs in topsoils of the University campus in the megacity of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, v. 91, n. 3 2019. Web of Science Citations: 1.