Comparison of traffic-related pollution level using street dust and passive dust samplers

Sylwia Dytłow, Beata Górka-Kostrubiec

The magnetic susceptibility and concentrations of traffic-related heavy metalswere used to compare the pollution level estimated for street dust (SD) and passive dust samplers (PDS) collected from 24 sampling sites in Warsaw (Poland). It was shownthat the disadvantages of SD disturb the assessment of the real traffic-related pollution level. The application of SD is limited because of unknown accumulation time, difficulties in the estimation of background values of heavy metals, and the strong influence of geological backgrounds and weather conditions. As an alternative to SD, we propose PDS as a more universal study material, which effectively reflects the pollution level and has well-defined initial concentrations of heavy metals obtainedbefore the exposition on pollution.

Keywords: Passive dust sampler, Heavy metals, Street dust, Magnetic susceptibility, Environmental magnetism

Proscience vol. 5

Pp 31-36

DOI:10.14644/dust.2018.006