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Transplanted Lichen Pseudovernia furfuracea as a Multi-Tracer Monitoring Tool Near a Solid Waste Incinerator in Italy: Assessment of Airborne Incinerator-Related Pollutants

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Abstract

The ability of a transplanted lichen, Pseudovernia (P.) furfuracea, to act as a multi-tracer biomonitoring tool for As, Cd, Ni, Pb, 12 PAHs, 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and 27 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was evaluated at six areas of varying risk (high, medium, negligible) of pollutant fallout from a municipal waste incinerator in central Italy. Transplanted P. furfuracea proved to be an useful tool to biomonitor PCDDs/Fs and PCBs. Concentrations of As, heavy metals, PAHs, PCDDs/Fs resulted similar for all monitored stations. Small differences in total PCBs (4378 and 4631 pg/g dw vs 3298, 4123, 3676 and 4022 pg/g dw) and dioxin-like PCBs (1235 and 1265 pg/g dw vs 794, 1069, 1106 and 1188 pg/g dw) were observed. Air concentrations of monitored compounds appear to be more related to general air pollution than point emissions from the incinerator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Carmela Protano & Matteo Vitali

  2. Arpa Lazio, Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, via Salaria per L’Aquila 88, 02100, Rieti, Italy

    Malgorzata Owczarek, Luca Fantozzi & Maurizio Guidotti

Authors
  1. Carmela Protano
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  2. Malgorzata Owczarek
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  3. Luca Fantozzi
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  4. Maurizio Guidotti
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  5. Matteo Vitali
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Correspondence to Matteo Vitali.

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Protano, C., Owczarek, M., Fantozzi, L. et al. Transplanted Lichen Pseudovernia furfuracea as a Multi-Tracer Monitoring Tool Near a Solid Waste Incinerator in Italy: Assessment of Airborne Incinerator-Related Pollutants. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 95, 644–653 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1614-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1614-5

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