Assessing Environmental Justice at the Urban Scale: The Contribution of Lichen Biomonitoring for Overcoming the Dichotomy between Proximity-Based and Distribution-Based Approaches

In this study, we tested the use of lichen biomonitoring techniques for the assessment of air quality disparities at the urban scale. We based our evaluation on the results of a previous lichen biomonitoring study carried out in Milan (Northern Italy), which estimates the contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and its distribution over the area, also providing an evaluation of the main emission sources. Therefore, we used the traditional methodologies for environmental justice assessment: the proximity-based and the distribution-based approaches. The workflow we propose is a data-driven selection of emission sources that contributes to overcoming the dichotomy between the two approaches and is now widely debated in the scientific community. A socio-economic deprivation index was elaborated for each census unit of Milan city and then related to the proximity of the emission sources previously selected. The results suggested that in the surrounding of industries and railways, the deprivation is higher, while the proximity of main roads is inhabited by wealthier populations. The distribution-based approach was run through a quantile regression analysis, and the outcome indicated that among the wealthier groups, an increase in contamination is followed by an increase in socio-economic deprivation, whilst among the deprived groups, people with greater economic opportunities tend, however, to live in worse air quality conditions due to the proximity of communication routes. This study poses the potential to review the classical methods of EJ assessment, providing a reliable workflow applicable in urban areas—the most vulnerable in terms of air quality disparities in the present and in the future

The impact of anastomotic leak on long-term oncological outcomes after low anterior resection for mid-low rectal cancer: extended follow-up of a randomised controlled trial

The impact of anastomotic leaks (AL) on oncological outcomes after low anterior resection for mid-low rectal cancer is still debated. The aim of this study was to evaluate overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local and distant recurrence in patients with AL following low anterior resection

The use of lichen biomonitoring techniques for Environmental Justice assessment and the risk perception assessment in a typical European city (Milan, Italy)

Aim of this thesis is to investigate the application of lichen biomonitoring techniques in the study of environmental justice and risk perception of air pollution at urban scale. Lichen biomonitoring can, in fact, fill the void that several authors claim when talking about environmental justice assessment, i.e., the lack of high spatial resolution data of air quality, that is crucial when the goal is to match the socio-economic status with air quality. The area selected for the study is Milan municipality (N Italy) as an example of a typical European big city. In this area, a lichen biomonitoring survey was firstly carried out through transplants of lichen bags of the species Evernia prunastri, previously collected in a pristine area (Siena, C Italy). The exposure lasted three months during the winter period. To assess the biological effects of air pollution, analysis on the physiological status of the samples were conducted, in particular the photosynthetic efficiency of the photobiont, and damage to cell membranes and the antiradical activity of the mycobiont were measured. The bioaccumulation of trace elements Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Sb, Pb and Zn was quantified and an overall contamination index (CI) was elaborated on the basis of the bioaccumulated elements. The use of a geographic information system support (QGIS 3.8) allowed to visualize the distribution of the contamination over the area, elaborated through an IDW interpolation algorithm. A deeper insight on the contamination of the area was obtained through the analysis of source apportionment, i.e., the research of the main emission sources. A theoretical approach was followed through the statistical method of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). Through this method, the overall contamination was de-structured in “factors” that, based on trace elements correlation, provided different “contamination profiles”, ascribable to different emission sources. The spatial distribution of the profiles, combined with their elemental composition, suggested both the type of emission sources and their magnitude in the study area. An empirical approach for source apportionment was also followed: the grain size, shape and magnetic behaviour of bioaccumulated particles was studied and compared with those of known emission sources. The results of the biomonitoring survey showed a general stress on the lichen physiology due to air pollution, but not so severe to compromise the general vitality of samples. Bioaccumulated elements were Cr, Cu, Fe, Sb and Pb and the Contamination Index showed generally high values over the whole area, even if central areas of the city were more polluted. Source apportionment analysis highlighted three main pollution profiles, ascribable to the industrial activity, brake abrasion from railways and cars, and soil resuspension. The magnetic behaviour of particles was in line with brake abrasion of vehicles, suggesting the vehicular traffic the most responsible of trace element contamination in Milan municipality. For the assessment of environmental justice, the air contamination was matched with the socio-economic characteristics of the citizens. An index of socio-economic deprivation (SDI) was calculated on the basis of the socio economic information provided by the national statistics institute (ISTAT), at the smallest spatial unit available, the census unit. Results showed that peripheral areas experience less air pollution but more socio-economic deprivation, however, the census units closer to main emission sources were generally more deprived than average. The last part of the study was dedicated to the evaluation of the risk perception of the citizens about air pollution. A questionnaire was elaborated and administrated randomly in the city of Milan to ca. 300 respondents. Main results showed a generally high attention for the air pollution issue in the city, as well as a high risk perception, regardless of gender, age or education level of the participants

Assessing the impact of vehicular particulate matter on cultural heritage by magnetic biomonitoring at Villa Farnesina in Rome, Italy

Magnetic biomonitoring methodologies were applied at Villa Farnesina, Rome, a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, with loggias frescoed by renowned artists such as Raffaello Sanzio. Plant leaves were sampled in September and December 2020 and lichen transplants were exposed from October 2020 to early January 2021 at increasing distances from the main trafficked road, Lungotevere Farnesina, introducing an outdoor vs. indoor mixed sampling design aimed at assessing the impact of vehicular particulate matter (PM) on the Villa Loggias. The magnetic properties of leaves and lichens - inferred from magnetic susceptibility values, hysteresis loops and first order reversal curves - showed that the bioaccumulation of magnetite-like particles, associated with trace metals such as Cu, Ba and Sb, decreased exponentially with the distance from the road, and was mainly linked to metallic emission from vehicle brake abrasion. For the frescoed Halls, ca. 30 m from the road, the exposure to traffic-related emissions was very limited or negligible. Tree and shrub leaves of the Lungotevere and of the Villa's Gardens intercepted much traffic-derived PM, thus being able to protect the indoor cultural heritage and providing an essential conservation service. It is concluded that the joint use of magnetic and chemical analyses can profitably be used for evaluating the impact of particulate pollution on cultural heritage within complex metropolitan contexts as a preventive conservation measure

Biological Effects of Air Pollution on Sensitive Bioindicators: A Case Study from Milan, Italy

In this study, the physiological response of a sensitive lichen species (Evernia prunastri) exposed for three months in a complex urban area (Milan, Italy) was evaluated in order to verify if the air pollution abatement measures adopted over the years resulted in a suitable air quality for the survival of this sensitive species. Parameters investigated rely on the photosynthetic activity of the photobiont (Fv/Fm, PIabs, and OJIP curves), damage to mycobiont (membrane damage and antiradical activity), and the production of secondary metabolites involved in the protective functions of the organisms. Results showed that although air quality in Milan still suffers from heavy pollution from PM and NOx, the overall situation is not as severe as to induce the death of this sensitive biomonitor, at least in the short term. Nevertheless, the vital status of the samples exposed in the study area showed a significant impairment compared to that of samples exposed in a control area, indicating that the current air quality in Milan still prevents the optimal survival of E. prunastri

Generative and Bioreceptive Design

L’urgenza di soluzioni sostenibili sta spingendo molti settori, tra cui la ricerca sul design, verso approcci innovativi transdisciplinari. L’ultimo decennio è stato caratterizzato da una crescente interazione tra design e discipline scientifiche, consolidata nell’approccio del biodesign. Il contributo si concentra sullo studio e lo sviluppo prototipale di piastrelle biorecettive attraverso il computational design per migliorare la propagazione di licheni e muschi per il loro utilizzo come biosensori della qualità dell’aria.The urgency for sustainable solutions is driving many sectors, including design research, towards innovative transdisciplinary approaches. The last decade has been characterised by an increasing interaction between design and scientific disciplines, consolidated in the Biodesign approach. The contribution focuses on the study and prototype development of bioreceptive tiles through computational design to improve the propagation of lichens and mosses for their use as air quality biosensors

Lichen Biomonitoring of Airborne Microplastics in Milan (N Italy)

This study investigated the deposition of airborne microplastics (MPs) in the urban area of Milan across 12 sites and at a background control site (northern Italy) using 3-month transplants of the fruticose lichen species Evernia prunastri (exposed in triplicate). The primary objective was to evaluate the use of lichen transplants for the assessment of MP deposition; as such, the study sites spanned a gradient in vehicular traffic and population density across four concentric land-use zones (i.e., urban parks, centre, semi-periphery, and periphery). A total of 149 MP particles were detected in the exposed lichen samples; 94.6% were classified as fibres and 5.4% as fragments. The control site and urban parks experienced a similar number of MPs per gram of dry lichen (20–26 MP/g), while a higher number of MPs were detected in central and peripheral areas (44–56 MP/g), with a clear increasing gradient from the city centre towards the periphery. We estimated the MP deposition in Milan to be in the range of 43–119 MPs m2/d, indicating that people living in Milan are exposed to airborne MPs, with potential health effects. This study suggests that lichens are suitable biomonitors of airborne MPs under a relatively short exposure of three months in urban environments

May lichen biomonitoring of air pollution be used for environmental justice assessment? A case study from an area of N Italy with a municipal solid waste incinerator

In this work, we aimed to identify the contribution of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) to the air contamination of a complex urbanized area of N Italy using lichen transplants as biomonitors, and to compare the values of contamination with the data of socioeconomic deprivation of the population living in the area. The method adopted allowed the identification of the elements of atmospheric origin that contaminate the study area. Although not distinguishable from the background, the contribution of the MSWI could be apportioned and mercury emerged as atmospheric tracer. Although not posing immediate risk, it is advisable to monitor in time the accumulation of Hg in biological systems. Consistently with similar studies, in the surrounding of the MSWI, we observed also the highest socio-economic deprivation. Overall, we found a close correlation between socioeconomic deprivation and air pollution, clearly showing that the most disadvantaged population is clustered in the most polluted areas

Disentangling sources of trace element air pollution in complex urban areas by lichen biomonitoring. A case study in Milan (Italy)

In this study we investigated the bioaccumulation of selected trace elements in lichen samples transplanted for three months in Milan, Italy, with the aim of assessing the main environmental contaminants and the overall pollution load, and of disentangling the main air pollution sources as well as of estimating fluxes of element deposition. The results highlighted Cu and Sb as important contaminants and suggested a common origin for these two elements from railways and non-exhaust sources of vehicular traffic such as brake abrasion. High or very high global air pollution emerged for all study sites. Source apportionment outlined three main factors, that found reliable correlation with distance from major roads and railways, an industrial plant, and soil resuspension. Ranges of estimated mean annual element deposition rates in the study area were similar to those reported for other cities

Disentangling sources of trace element air pollution in complex urban areas by lichen biomonitoring. A case study in Milan (Italy)

In this study we investigated the bioaccumulation of selected trace elements in lichen samples transplanted for three months in Milan, Italy, with the aim of assessing the main environmental contaminants and the overall pollution load, and of disentangling the main air pollution sources as well as of estimating fluxes of element deposition. The results highlighted Cu and Sb as important contaminants and suggested a common origin for these two elements from railways and non-exhaust sources of vehicular traffic such as brake abrasion. High or very high global air pollution emerged for all study sites. Source apportionment outlined three main factors, that found reliable correlation with distance from major roads and railways, an industrial plant, and soil resuspension. Ranges of estimated mean annual element deposition rates in the study area were similar to those reported for other cities