The lichen transplant monitoring methodology has been tested for source apportionment of metal deposition around the Cu smelter and former mining town of Karabash. Transplants of the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl., collected from a 'control' site in July 2001, were set up at 10 stations along a 60 km NE-SW transect centred on Karabash. Samples were collected after 2 and 3 month monitoring...

A thermal desorption GC/MS technique has been developed for the quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in airborne particulate matter using the NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM1649a) Urban Dust. The technique was developed using standard linearity tests in order to establish optimum sample weights and optimum desorption and chromatographic parameters. This direct analysi...

Carbonaceous compounds comprise a substantial fraction of atmospheric particulate matter (PM). Particulate organic material can be emitted directly into the atmosphere or formed in the atmosphere when the oxidation products of certain volatile organic compounds condense. Such products have lower volatilities than their parent molecules as a result of the fact that adding oxygen and/or nitrogen ...

With the global liberalization industries in India are growing at a very fast pace, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) like; foundries, mining industries, food processing industries etc. But due to lack of use of advanced technologies by SMEs, the labourers are exposed to dusty and hazardous environment and they are getting more prone to lungs related diseases. This problem is m...

Background Air quality monitoring in brick kilns indicates very high concentrations of airborne particulate matter. Air pollution from brick kilns poses an enhanced threat to the environment and to human health. Objective To evaluate airborne particulate matter concentration and health status of brick kiln workers. Method A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in the Kathmandu valley...

This paper reports the physicochemical properties that describe the adsorption of a series of solutes onto the surfaces of amorphous carbon blacks. Adsorption was studied at concentrations that correspond to low surface coverages and in the presence of volatile solvent diluents. The adsorbates and adsorbents were selected for their relevance as models for environmental agent-particle complexes ...

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel in-room air disinfection technology through the use of real-time viable airborne particulate counting. Methods. Using laser particle fluorescence techniques in real time, airborne viable particle concentrations were obtained before and after air treatment with the in-room C-UVC device in an active hospital operating room setting. Results. A la...