Unit:
Department of Geology and GeoenvirommentLibrary of the School of Science
Author:
TRIANTAFYLLOPOULOU IOANNA
Supervisors info:
Δρ. Κελεπερτζής Ευστράτιος , Επίκ. Καθηγητής , τμήμα Γεωλογίας και Γεωπεριβάλλοντος , Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Original Title:
Συγκριτική μελέτη των συγκεντρώσεων των ιχνοστοιχείων (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni) σε δείγματα οικιακών σκονών από τις πόλεις Αθήνα και Βόλος
Translated title:
Comparative study of concentrations of trace elements (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni) in samples of household dust from the cities of Athens and Volos
Summary:
The dissertation that follows, deals with a set of samples of household dust collected from two cities in Greece, for the purpose of their indirect comparison. More specifically, we utilized the data from 43 samples of household dust from the area of Athens and 24 samples of household dust from the area of Volos. The composition of the above samples is a heterogenous mixture comprising a plurality of different trace elements. The trace elements that the research part of this study is limited, are: lead Pb, copper Cu, zinc Zn, chromium Cr, nickel Ni, and manganese Mn. Drawing conclusions about these cities is extremely interesting, as the characteristics between them are diametrically opposed. Athens is a city highly urbanized but also densely populated, with industrial activity towards Elefsina. Volos on the other hand is a smaller urban center, which is more sparsely populated but nevertheless is governed by intense industrial activity, because in its wider area Velestino industry it is located. Therefore, since the data were collected from two different environments, as a consequence the concentrations of the trace elements may differ significantly. The focus of this dissertation is the study of both total and bioaccessible concentrations of trace elements. The total concentrations of trace elements were determined in all samples of household dust (43 for Athens and 24 for Volos). Bioaccessibility was determined in the 43 samples of household dust in Athens and only in the 15 of the 24 total samples of household dust in Volos. Using the minitab, which is a statistical processing program, it were created several graphs that allowed the direct comparison between the concentrations of the two cities. The most important findings are the following:
• The samples of household dust in the area of Athens are significally richer in Pb and Cu in contrast to Volos, where higher values are observed in the trace elements Mn and Cr which are directly related to the geological background of the area.
• The percentage of bioaccessibility in the trace elements Pb (77%), Mn (64%), Ni (43%) and Cr (27%) is higher in the case of Athens, while in Volos the bioaccessibility percentages of the trace elements Zn (80%) and Cu (37%) are significantly higher.
• All the trace elements of this study show higher median values in their bioaccessibility (%) at the household dust samples than the soil dust samples. The highest values of bioaccessibility (%) for the household dust samples, are marked at Pb and Zn.
Main subject category:
Science
Keywords:
Trace elements, potentially toxic elements, household dust, soil, bioaccessibility, industrial area, urban environment
