Monitoring Rainwater Properties and Outdoor Particulate Matter in a Former Steel Manufacturing City in Romania

Rainwater quality in Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Poland

In the face of climate change, rainwater harvesting has become a valuable solution providing an alternative water source and helping mitigate the sewage system overload. Using rainwater necessitates ensuring that its quality is appropriate for its intended purpose. In industrial areas, the nature of the activities conducted poses a substantial risk of rainwater quality deterioration, particularly due to heavy metals (HMs) contamination. Within the article scope, the rainwater quality analysis from the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Lower Silesia (Poland) was examined. The research included analysis of physicochemical parameters, as well as cations, anions, and HMs concentrations in rainwater samples. The measurements were made in the certified laboratory between April 2022 and June 2023. The samples were taken from 5 representative points of the SEZ area: drains into the ditch and storage tanks. From analyzed anions and cations, Cl- (205 mg/L) and Ca2+ (69.6 mg/L) showed the highest concentration, respectively. Cu was the most abundant HMs (up to 0.049 mg/L). Cd and Cr were not detected at all. It has been shown that the most of the analyzed quality parameters complied with WHO guidelines. The detected contaminants mainly come from industrial activity (like incineration; vehicles, batteries, and electronic manufacturing or concrete production), as well as from materials coating buildings and pavements prone to release undesired components. Vehicle traffic, natural sources (e.g. weathering ions from soils) also was shown to contribute to rainwater quality. Tap water periodically used for washing the roads and pavements unintentionally transported to sampling points may contribute to Cl- and Ca2+ presence.

Nitrate, nitrite and nitrosamines in the global food supply

Inorganic nitrate provided by either nitrate salts or food supplements may improve cardiometabolic health. However, current methods to assess dietary nitrate, nitrite and nitrosamine consumption are inadequate. The purpose of this study was to develop a reference database to estimate the levels of nitrate, nitrite and nitrosamines in the global food supply. A systematic literature search was undertaken; of the 5,747 articles screened, 448 met the inclusion criteria. The final database included data for 1,980 food and beverages from 65 different countries. There were 5,105 unique records for nitrate, 2,707 for nitrite, and 954 for nitrosamine. For ease of use, data were sorted into 12 categories; regarding nitrate and nitrite concentrations in food and beverages, 'vegetables and herbs' were most reported in the literature (n = 3,268 and n = 1,200, respectively). For nitrosamines, 'protein foods of animal origin' were most reported (n = 398 records). This database will allow researchers and practitioners to confidently estimate dietary intake of nitrate, nitrite and nitrosamines. When paired with health data, our database can be used to investigate associations between nitrate intake and health outcomes, and/or exercise performance and could support the development of key dietary nitrate intake guidelines.

Analysis of the Diurnal Changes in the Water-Soluble Ion Concentration in Wuhan between 2016 and 2019

This study uses online monitoring data from the Hubei Environmental Monitoring Center’s Atmospheric Compound Pollution Automatic Monitoring Station from 2016 to 2019 to analyze the diurnal changes in the concentration of water-soluble ions in particulate matter in Wuhan. During the study period, the concentrations of SO2, NO3−, and SO42− changed significantly, while those of NH4+, NH3, and Ca2+ exhibited minimal differences. SO2 and NO3− showed an annually increasing trend, while NH4+ and SO42− exhibited an annually decreasing trend. The ion concentration was generally higher in the winter and spring and lower in the summer and autumn. The concentration of water-soluble ions was generally higher during the day than at night. However, the “weekend effect” on the change in ion concentrations was substantial and higher during the day than at night. This effect was the strongest for NO3− and the weakest for NH3. These changes in the weekend effect of water-soluble ions in particulate matter clearly revealed the impact of periodic human activities on atmospheric pollution. Taken together, the results of this novel study reveal the diurnal pollution characteristics and “weekend effect” of water-soluble ions with high concentrations in atmospheric aerosols in Wuhan over a four-year period, thus providing relevant insights for Wuhan’s atmospheric mitigation plan.