Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution

Tree barks have proven to be a valuable source of information on air quality. Nowadays, studies with this biomonitor are constantly being developed. However, data of several factors that affect the accumulation of the pollutants in the barks, such as bark porosity, duration of the deposition on the...

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Main Authors: Gabriel Ishimaru, Eliane Conceição dos Santos, Mitiko Saiki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Brazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR) 2021-04-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/1386
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author Gabriel Ishimaru
Eliane Conceição dos Santos
Mitiko Saiki
author_facet Gabriel Ishimaru
Eliane Conceição dos Santos
Mitiko Saiki
author_sort Gabriel Ishimaru
collection DOAJ
description Tree barks have proven to be a valuable source of information on air quality. Nowadays, studies with this biomonitor are constantly being developed. However, data of several factors that affect the accumulation of the pollutants in the barks, such as bark porosity, duration of the deposition on the bark and dispersion or variability of pollutants in a defined area, are scarce in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial variability of chemical elements concentrations accumulated on Sibipiruna (Cenostigna pluviosarum) barks in order to examine their aerial dispersion in two small urban areas of the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo. The neutron activation analysis (NAA) applied in the analyses consisted of irradiation the aliquots of the sample together the synthetic element standards at the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor. Concentrations of the As, Br, Ca, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, V and Zn were determined in tree barks using short and long irradiations. Results obtained in the analyses of the tree bark samples indicated that the variability of element concentrations depends on the element, study area and numbers of trees. The variability of element concentrations in general was higher for elements presenting low concentrations. Quality control of the analytical results was evaluated by the analysis of INCT-MPH-2 Mixed Polish Herbs Certified Reference Material and these results presented good accuracy with values of standardized difference or |ζ score| ≤ 2, indicating that the procedure of NAA applied is suitable for the analyses. 
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spelling doaj.art-c2d8850fb2d4493c86ba469104cbccca2022-12-22T04:37:05ZengBrazilian Radiation Protection Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica, SBPR)Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences2319-06122021-04-0191A10.15392/bjrs.v9i1A.1386Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollutionGabriel Ishimaru0Eliane Conceição dos SantosMitiko Saiki1Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN – CNEN/SP)Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN – CNEN/SP) Tree barks have proven to be a valuable source of information on air quality. Nowadays, studies with this biomonitor are constantly being developed. However, data of several factors that affect the accumulation of the pollutants in the barks, such as bark porosity, duration of the deposition on the bark and dispersion or variability of pollutants in a defined area, are scarce in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial variability of chemical elements concentrations accumulated on Sibipiruna (Cenostigna pluviosarum) barks in order to examine their aerial dispersion in two small urban areas of the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo. The neutron activation analysis (NAA) applied in the analyses consisted of irradiation the aliquots of the sample together the synthetic element standards at the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor. Concentrations of the As, Br, Ca, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, V and Zn were determined in tree barks using short and long irradiations. Results obtained in the analyses of the tree bark samples indicated that the variability of element concentrations depends on the element, study area and numbers of trees. The variability of element concentrations in general was higher for elements presenting low concentrations. Quality control of the analytical results was evaluated by the analysis of INCT-MPH-2 Mixed Polish Herbs Certified Reference Material and these results presented good accuracy with values of standardized difference or |ζ score| ≤ 2, indicating that the procedure of NAA applied is suitable for the analyses.  https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/1386Air pollutionBiomonitoringTree barksNeutron Activation Analysis
spellingShingle Gabriel Ishimaru
Eliane Conceição dos Santos
Mitiko Saiki
Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences
Air pollution
Biomonitoring
Tree barks
Neutron Activation Analysis
title Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
title_full Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
title_fullStr Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
title_short Evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
title_sort evaluation of the spatial variability of the elements in tree barks used as biomonitors of atmospheric pollution
topic Air pollution
Biomonitoring
Tree barks
Neutron Activation Analysis
url https://bjrs.org.br/revista/index.php/REVISTA/article/view/1386
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AT elianeconceicaodossantos evaluationofthespatialvariabilityoftheelementsintreebarksusedasbiomonitorsofatmosphericpollution
AT mitikosaiki evaluationofthespatialvariabilityoftheelementsintreebarksusedasbiomonitorsofatmosphericpollution