Fine and ultrafine TiO_{2} particles in aerosol in Kraków (Poland)

During single particle analysis of aerosol in Kraków (Poland) we noticed a new component, that is, aggregates of TiO_2 particles. These aggregates are from 0.5 to 4 μm and are composed of individual particles whose size typically varies from between 100 and 350 nm. Smaller particles (below 100 nm) also occur. TiO_2 particles are relatively abundant in the summer. The size distribution of the particles corresponds to "pigmentary" TiO_2, which indicates that they could be derived from paints and building materials. TiO_2 particles were not previously identified in aerosol samples in Kraków, and therefore this phenomenon is likely to be related to the common usage of new building materials and paints. A review of the literature suggests that TiO_2 particles, especially within the nanosize range, could result in health and environmental impacts; however, evaluation of the actual threat is difficult

The leaching potential of sewage sludge and municipal waste incineration ashes in terms of landfill safety and potential reuse

Incinerations residues from different types of materials (sewage sludge incineration ash and municipal waste incineration ashes) can either be by-products used in industry, or can pose a serious environmental problem related to their composition and the presence of potentially hazardous elements. State regulations and standards indicate whether material is inert, non-hazardous or hazardous. These standards, however, do not provide a complete overview on the leaching behavior of potentially hazardous elements in the environment. This study presents the result of batch experiment performed in accordance with the PN-EN 12457-2 (2006) and PN-EN 12457-4 (2006) standards. The results indicated that the leachability of elements is strongly dependent on the mineral composition of the waste product (the concentration and composition of soluble phase), the chemical composition (the mobility of hazardous elements and their affinity to soluble minerals), and the pH. To ensure environmental safety a thorough characterization of the waste is required followed by qualitative assignment to a particular waste type based on available guidance. Furthermore, to avoid leaching of potentially harmful elements into soils or surface water, it is also paramount to perform environmental impact assessment of wastes used as by-product in industry e.g., as building or road construction materials (aggregate) and fertilizers

Assessment of valuable and critical elements recovery potential in ashes from processes of solid municipal waste and sewage sludge thermal treatment

Due to the increasing amount of produced and accumulated wastes, a potential source of elements might be the global waste stream coming from the waste incineration process. As a result of this process, bottom ash, fly ash and air pollution control residues are produced. The goal of this study was to evaluate the raw material potential of the anthropogenic materials which are fly ashes from municipal waste incineration and municipal sewage sludge incineration, and the possibility for the recovery of metallic or other economically valuable elements by comparison of their chemical composition with the chemical composition of Earth materials (ultramafic, mafic and felsic igneous rocks, various sedimentary rocks), and with their lowest content in currently exploited ores. Fly ashes contain more valuable and critical elements when compared to Earth materials; however, they are less concentrated in comparison to the content in currently exploited ores. Since natural resources are becoming depleted, the costs of exploitation, mineral processing and related operations are increasing and the fly ashes are easily accessible. Cheap materials do not demand complicated treatment which might be considered as a future source of P, Zn, Sn, Cr, Pb, Au and Ag, and thus fulfilling the assumptions of close-loop economy and to maximize natural resources protection

Smog in Krakow : a glance into the future from historical perspective

Przedstawiono charakterystykę zanieczyszczeń powietrza w Krakowie ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem zanieczyszczeń pyłowych, które obecnie stanowią poważne zagrożenie dla zdrowia mieszkańców (wraz z wysokimi koncentracjami benzo(a)pirenu i tlenków azotu). Zaznaczono, że do wysokich koncentracji zanieczyszczeń w Krakowie dochodziło zapewne już dużo wcześniej, tj. w wieku XIX i pierwszej połowie XX wieku. Zwrócono uwagę na zmianę składu zanieczyszczeń w ostatnich kilkudziesięciu latach, co przejawia się m.in. wyraźnym spadkiem koncentracji SO_{2}, wzrostem udziału drobnych pyłów i koncentracji tlenków azotu oraz przedstawiono przyczyny tych zmian. Główne źródła zanieczyszczeń powietrza atmosferycznego w Krakowie to emisje komunikacyjne, tzw. niska emisja (emisja z palenisk domowych), emisje przemysłowe, emisje z licznych małych zakładów produkcyjnych i usługowych, wywiewanie z ulic, placów budowy i rozbiórki, wywiewanie z gleb, rozproszony materiał roślinny. Podkreślono niski stopień rozpoznania udziału tych źródeł (w tym także brak pełnej inwentaryzacji źródeł) oraz roli aerozoli wtórnych w zanieczyszczeniu powietrza. Niski stopień rozpoznania źródeł zanieczyszczeń powoduje, że przedsięwzięcia zaradcze nie przynoszą oczekiwanych rezultatów. Brak obecnie realnej oceny zagrożenia dla zdrowia mieszkańców. Słowa kluczowe: zanieczyszczenie powietrza, smog, PM, pył, SO_{2}. Wysoka koncentracja zanieczyszczeń powietrza w Krakowie utrzymuje się od lat przez znaczną część roku, aczkolwiek wykazuje wyraźną zmienność sezonową i osiąga wysokie poziomy w okresie zimowym, na co wskazują wyniki badań monitoringowych prowadzonych już w latach sześćdziesiątych XX wieku i kontynuowanych do dzisiaj [7, 13, 12, 14, 15, dane WIOŚ http://monitoring.krakow.pios.gov.pl/ http://www.krakow.pios.gov.pl/). W powietrzu atmosferycznym w Krakowie oprócz substancji podlegających monitoringowi występują też inne związki, które mogą negatywnie oddziaływać na zdrowie mieszkańców

Mechanisms of granite alteration into grus, Karkonosze granite, SW Poland

Granitic gruses are usually considered as a product of deep weathering, but the influence of hydrothermal fluids was also noticed. In this work, a wide range of mineralogical and chemical methods performed on 43 samples from three representative outcrops and a reference site is used to determine the influence of hydrothermal and weathering fluids on the development of granitic gruses from the coarse grained Karkonosze granite. Four types of altered granites have been distinguished, including compact and friable granite, typical grus, and localized heavy altered zones. Mineralogical observations such as complete albitization of plagioclase and crystallization of secondary quartz revealed an important role of hydrothermal alteration at the early stage of grusification. The origin of smectite and alteration of biotite into muscovite are likely to be connected with circulation of hydrothermal fluids too. Grusification sensu stricto was primarily caused by vermiculitization of biotite which resulted in volumetric expansion and the development of transmineral microcracks with non-accordant pore surfaces. Thus, it requires hydrothermal alteration to be relatively minor, confined to postmagmatic changes, since more advanced alteration of biotite into muscovite rather than vermiculite arrests further development of microcracks and leads to the development of friable granite

The Impact of Place of Residence on the Sense of Coherence of Population Aged 60–89: Evidence from Poland

Place of living is one of the most important socio-demographic factors which characterizes the lives of older people. The importance of with whom and under what conditions older adults live to a large extent determines their health and standard of living. The goal of the study was to find the relationship between the place of residence and housing condition of older adults in Poland and their sense of coherence and health problems. The 29-item Antonovsky SOC questionnaire was used. In the research 303 people (76% women and 24% men) aged 60–89 were evaluated: 158 lived in their own houses/flats, while 145 resided in Daily Homes of Social Assistance (DPS). The overall result for the sense of coherence was 129.65 for older adults living in their own homes and 126.48 for these living in DPS. Statistical dependence between the place of residence and sense of manageability and meaningfulness was found. There is no dependence between gender and the overall score, nor the three components of the sense of coherence. Statistical dependence was determined in the criterion of age. A higher level of meaningfulness was observed in people aged 60–74. Taking into account the place of residents, 52% of the respondents living in their own houses/flats experience loneliness and among the people living in Daily Homes of Social Assistance, 46% experience loneliness. The type of place of residence is one of the most important personal factors affecting the sense of coherence, chronic health problems, and sense of loneliness. The last factor, especially, can adversely affect community sustainability and undermine social cohesion

The Impact of Place of Residence on the Sense of Coherence of Population Aged 60–89: Evidence from Poland

Place of living is one of the most important socio-demographic factors which characterizes the lives of older people. The importance of with whom and under what conditions older adults live to a large extent determines their health and standard of living. The goal of the study was to find the relationship between the place of residence and housing condition of older adults in Poland and their sense of coherence and health problems. The 29-item Antonovsky SOC questionnaire was used. In the research 303 people (76% women and 24% men) aged 60–89 were evaluated: 158 lived in their own houses/flats, while 145 resided in Daily Homes of Social Assistance (DPS). The overall result for the sense of coherence was 129.65 for older adults living in their own homes and 126.48 for these living in DPS. Statistical dependence between the place of residence and sense of manageability and meaningfulness was found. There is no dependence between gender and the overall score, nor the three components of the sense of coherence. Statistical dependence was determined in the criterion of age. A higher level of meaningfulness was observed in people aged 60–74. Taking into account the place of residents, 52% of the respondents living in their own houses/flats experience loneliness and among the people living in Daily Homes of Social Assistance, 46% experience loneliness. The type of place of residence is one of the most important personal factors affecting the sense of coherence, chronic health problems, and sense of loneliness. The last factor, especially, can adversely affect community sustainability and undermine social cohesion

Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of urban aerosols in Krakow (Poland) and their potential health impact

Eight aerosol samples were collected in Krakow using a low-volume sampler in February and March 2019 during variable meteorological conditions and times of the day, to study their single particles’ properties (size, morphology and chemical composition analyzed using a scanning electron microscope fitted with an energy-dispersive spectrometer) and microbiological characteristics. The content of particles of different chemical compositions larger than 2.5 μm was low. Considering the number of the particles, submicron particles strongly dominated with a high content of ultrafine particles (nanoparticles). Tar ball-type particles were relatively common in the studied samples, while soot was the dominant component. Soot was present as small agglomerates composed of few particles, but also as bigger agglomerates. Metal-containing particles of various chemical characteristics were abundant, with transition metals commonly occurring in these particles. The physicochemical characteristics of aerosols indicate that despite a relatively low mass concentration, their adverse health impact could be very strong because of the high content of nanoparticles, the abundance of soot and other fuel combustion-related particles, and the high incidence of transition metal-rich particles. Microbiological analysis was based on cultures on both solid and liquid agar. The MALDI-TOF method was used for species identification—for bacteria and fungi. Twelve different species of bacteria were isolated from the collected samples of aerosols. The most frequently isolated species was Gram-positive sporulating Bacillus licheniformis. The isolated mold fungi were of the genus Aspergillus