The effects of a Summer Firework Festival on the air quality were studied for the first time in a rural area of Southern Italy. The case study analyzes the physical-chemical properties of airborne particles collected during the Note di Fuoco (NDF) Festival, which took place in Belvedere M.mo in 2016. The sampling period was peculiar since in one week three different kinds of events have succeeded: three days during the NDF Festival with the concurrence of the festival and the firework displays, one day with the typical street Market involving food stalls and specialty shops, and three days with no specific events, considered as background conditions. Particulate Matter in different two size fractions (PM2.5 and PM10) was simultaneously collected on a daily basis and then chemically analyzed for major and rare metal content as well as for organic and elemental carbon determination. Levels of particles were even below the European air quality limit values. However, the day with the country market and during the three days of the NDF festival, the finer and respirable particulate fraction, PM2.5, showed an increase of 46% and 84%, respectively, over the mean concentration values observed during the background days. Both elemental and organic carbon, even in the finer fraction showed an increment up to 30%. All major, trace and rare elements were found in higher concentrations during the festival with respect to those recorded in days with no events. In our case study, K was recognized as the best fireworks tracer because its level doubled during the festival. Typical firework tracers like Fe, Ti, Mn, Pb and Sr resulted in greater concentrations, up to 50%.
References
[1]
Drewnick, F., Hings, S.S., Curtius, J., Eerdekens, G. and Williams, J. (2006) Measurement of Fine Particulate and Gas-Phase Species during the New Year’s Fireworks 2005 in Mainz, Germany. Atmospheric Environment, 40, 4316-4327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.03.040
[2]
Wehner, B., Wiedensohler, A. and Heintzenberg, J. (2000) Submicrometer Aerosol Size Distributions and Mass Concentration of the Millennium Reworks 2000 in Leipzig, Germany. Journal of Aerosol Science, 31, 1489-1493.
[3]
Do, T.M., Wang, C.F., Hsieh, Y.K. and Hsieh, H.F. (2012) Metals Present in Ambient Air before and after a Rework Festival in Yanshui, Tainan, Taiwan. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 12, 981-993.
[4]
Barman, S., Singh, R., Negi, M. and Bhargava, S. (2008) Ambient Air Quality of Lucknow City (India) during Use of Fireworks on Diwali Festival. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 137, 495-504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9784-1
[5]
Tiwari, S., Chate, D., Srivastava, M., Safai, P., Srivastava, A., Bisht, D. and Padmanabhamurty, B. (2012) Statistical Evaluation of PM10 and Distribution of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 in Ambient Air Due to Extreme Fireworks Episodes (Deepawali Festivals) in Megacity Delhi. Natural Hazards, 61, 521-531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-9931-4
[6]
Ambade, B. and Ghosh, S. (2013) Characterization of PM10 in the Ambient Air during Deepawali Festival of Rajnandgaon District, India. Natural Hazards, 69, 589-598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0725-8
[7]
Moreno, T., Querol, X., Alastuey, A., Minguillóon, M.C., Pey, J., Rodriguez, S., Miró, J.V., Felis, C. and Gibbons, W. (2007) Recreational Atmospheric Pollution Episodes: Inhalable Metalliferous Particles from Firework Displays. Atmospheric Environment, 41, 913-922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.09.019
[8]
Camilleri, R. and Vella, A.J. (2010) Effect of Fireworks on Ambient Air Quality in Malta. Atmospheric Environment, 44, 4521-4527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.07.057
[9]
Wang, Y., Zhuang, G., Xu, C. and An, Z. (2007) The Air Pollution Caused by the Burning of Fireworks during the Lantern Festival in Beijing. Atmospheric Environment, 41, 417-431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.07.043
[10]
Vecchi, R., Bernardoni, V., Cricchio, D., DAlessandro, A., Fermo, P., Lucarelli, F., Nava, S., Piazzalunga, A. and Valli, G. (2008) The Impact of Fireworks on Airborne Particles. Atmospheric Environment, 42, 1121-1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.10.047
[11]
Attri, A.K., Kumar, U. and Jain, V. (2001) Microclimate: Formation of Ozone by Fireworks. Nature, 411, 1015. https://doi.org/10.1038/35082634
[12]
Kulshrestha, U., Rao, T.N., Azhaguvel, S. and Kulshrestha, M. (2004) Emissions and Accumulation of Metals in the Atmosphere Due to Crackers and Sparkles during Diwali Festival in India. Atmospheric Environment, 38, 4421-4425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.05.044
[13]
Ravindra, K., Mor, S. and Kaushik, C. (2003) Short-Term Variation in Air Quality Associated with Firework Events: A Case Study. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 5, 260-264. https://doi.org/10.1039/b211943a
[14]
Wilkin, R.T., Fine, D.D. and Burnett, N.G. (2007) Perchlorate Behavior in a Municipal Lake Following Fireworks Displays. Environmental Science & Technology, 41, 3966-3971. https://doi.org/10.1021/es0700698
[15]
Shi, Y., Zhang, N., Gao, J., Li, X. and Cai, Y. (2011) Effect of Fireworks Display on Perchlorate in Air Aerosols during the Spring-Festival. Atmospheric Environment, 45, 1323-1327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.11.056
[16]
Smith, R.M. and Dinh, V.D. (1975) Changes in Forced Expiratory Flow Due to Air Pollution from Fireworks: Preliminary Report. Environmental Research, 9, 321-331. https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-9351(75)90012-2
[17]
Becker, J.M., Iskandrian, S. and Conkling, J. (2000) Fatal and Near-Fatal Asthma in Children Exposed to Fireworks. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 85, 512-513. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1081-1206(10)62581-1
[18]
Hirai, K., Yamazaki, Y., Okada, K., Furuta, S. and Kubo, K. (2000) Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Associated with Smoke from Fireworks. Internal Medicine, 39, 401-403. https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.39.401
[19]
Murty, O. (2000) Diwali Toxicity. Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 17, 23-26.
[20]
Steinhauser, G., Sterba, J.H., Foster, M., Grass, F. and Bichler, M. (2008) Heavy Metals from Pyrotechnics in New Years Eve Snow. Atmospheric Environment, 42, 8616-8622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.08.023
Kim, K.H., Sekiguchi, K., Kudo, S. and Sakamoto, K. (2011) Characteristics of Atmospheric Elemental Carbon (Char and Soot) in Ultrafine and Fine Particles in a Roadside Environment, Japan. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 11, 1-12.
[23]
Sarkar, S., Khillare, P.S., Jyethi, D.S., Hasan, A. and Parween, M. (2010) Chemical Speciation of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter during a Major Firework Festival in India. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 184, 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.08.039
Statistiche I. Stat (2017). http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx
[26]
European Standards (2017). http://www.cen.eu/cen
[27]
Xiao, Z.M., Zhang, Y.F., Hong, S.M., Bi, X.H., Jiao, L., Feng, Y.C. and Wang, Y.Q. (2011) Estimation of the Main Factors Influencing Haze, Based on a Long-Term Monitoring Campaign in Hangzhou, China. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 11, 873-882.
[28]
Turpin, B.J. and Huntzicker, J.J. (1995) Identification of Secondary Organic Aerosol Episodes and Quantitation of Primary and Secondary Organic Aerosol Concentrations during SCAQS. Atmospheric Environment, 29, 3527-3544. https://doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)00276-Q
[29]
Cao, J., Lee, S., Ho, K., Zhang, X., Zou, S., Fung, K., Chow, J.C. and Watson, J.G. (2003) Characteristics of Carbonaceous Aerosol in Pearl River Delta Region, China during 2001 Winter Period. Atmospheric Environment, 37, 1451-1460. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(02)01002-6
[30]
Cavalli, F., Viana, M., Yttri, K.E., Genberg, J. and Putaud, J.P. (2010) Toward a Standardised Thermal-Optical Protocol for Measuring Atmospheric Organic and Elemental Carbon: The EUSAAR Protocol. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 3, 79-89. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-3-79-2010
[31]
Castro, L., Pio, C., Harrison, R.M. and Smith, D. (1999) Carbonaceous Aerosol in Urban and Rural European Atmospheres: Estimation of Secondary Organic Carbon Concentrations. Atmospheric Environment, 33, 2771-2781. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(98)00331-8
[32]
Turpin, B.J. and Huntzicker, J.J. (1991) Secondary Formation of Organic Aerosol in the Los Angeles Basin: A Descriptive Analysis of Organic and Elemental Carbon Concentrations. Atmospheric Environment. Part A. General Topics, 25, 207-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-1686(91)90291-E
[33]
Lim, H.J. and Turpin, B.J. (2002) Origins of Primary and Secondary Organic Aerosol in Atlanta: Results of Time-Resolved Measurements during the Atlanta Supersite Experiment. Environmental Science & Technology, 36, 4489-4496. https://doi.org/10.1021/es0206487
[34]
Cabada, J.C., Pandis, S.N., Subramanian, R., Robinson, A.L., Polidori, A. and Turpin, B. (2004) Estimating the Secondary Organic Aerosol Contribution to PM2.5 Using the EC Tracer Method Special Issue of Aerosol Science and Technology on Findings from the Fine Particulate Matter Supersites Program. Aerosol Science and Technology, 38, 140-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786820390229084
[35]
Harrison, R.M. and Yin, J. (2008) Sources and Processes Affecting Carbonaceous Aerosol in Central England. Atmospheric Environment, 42, 1413-1423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.11.004
[36]
Pio, C., Cerqueira, M., Harrison, R.M., Nunes, T., Mirante, F., Alves, C., Oliveira, C., de la Campa, A.S., Artínano, B. and Matos, M. (2011) OC/EC Ratio Observations in Europe: Re-Thinking the Approach for Apportionment between Primary and Secondary Organic Carbon. Atmospheric Environment, 45, 6121-6132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.08.045
[37]
Dinoi, A., Cesari, D., Marinoni, A., Bonasoni, P., Riccio, A., Chianese, E., Tirimberio, G., Naccarato, A., Sprovieri, F., Andreoli, V., et al. (2017) Inter-Comparison of Carbon Content in PM2.5 and PM10 Collected at Five Measurement Sites in Southern Italy. Atmosphere, 8, 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8120243
[38]
Baldi, M., Gaetani, M., Dalu, G. and Maracchi, G. (2008) Jetstream and Seasonal Anomalies in the Mediterranean. Bollettino Geofisico, a. XXXI, n. 1-4, gennaio-dicembre, 51-69.
[39]
Baldi, M., Dalu, G., Maracchi, G., Pasqui, M. and Cesarone, F. (2006) Heat Waves in the Mediterranean: A Local Feature or a Larger-Scale Effect? International Journal of Climatology, 26, 1477-1487. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1389
[40]
Da Silva, A.M., Young, C.C. and Levitus, S. (1995) Toward a Revised Beaufort Equivalent Scale. In: Diaz, H.F. and Isemer, H.-J., Eds., Proceedings International COADS Winds Workshop, NOAA-ERL, IFM (Kiel), 270-286.
[41]
Sprovieri, F., Bencardino, M., Cofone, F. and Pirrone, N. (2011) Chemical Composition of Aerosol Size Fractions at a Coastal Site in Southwestern Italy: Seasonal Variability and Transport Influence. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 61, 941-951. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2011.599267
[42]
Parliament, E., of the Council (2008) Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe.
Turpin, B.J., Huntzicker, J.J. and Hering, S.V. (1994) Investigation of Organic Aerosol Sampling Artifacts in the Los Angeles Basin. Atmospheric Environment, 28, 3061-3071. https://doi.org/10.1016/1352-2310(94)00133-6
[45]
Pongpiachan, S., Kudo, S. and Sekiguchi, K. (2014) Chemical Characterization of Carbonaceous PM10 in Bangkok, Thailand. Asian Journal of Applied Sciences, 7, 325-342
