Compare the magnetic properties of PM10 filters during and after the strict 2020 lockdown.
An analysis carried out in the Rome area showed that automotive metal emissions, mainly due to brake abrasion, have doubled on average compared to those found during the period of total closure for the containment of the Covid 19 pandemic.
The study The effect of Covid-19 lockdown on airborne particulate matter in Rome, Italy: A magnetic point of view, conducted by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Lazio (ARPA Lazio) is has just been published in the scientific journal 'Environmental Pollution'.
"I study", explains Aldo Winkler, INGV researcher and first author of the work, “was inspired by the broad debate aroused by the modest decrease in PM10 levels in Rome during the lockdown, despite the substantial reduction in vehicular traffic, more than 50%, according to data provided by the Municipality of Rome, Apple, ANAS and the Teralytics company for the newspaper 'La Repubblica'".
"We compared the magnetic properties of air quality detection filters during and after the lockdown", continues the researcher, “discovering that automotive metal emissions, mainly due to brake abrasion, have doubled on average at the end of the most restrictive containment measures, which lasted from 9 March to 18 May 2020, when traffic returned to pre-Covid 19 levels ”.
“Magnetic analyses”, adds Winkler, "they played a decisive role in distinguishing the natural and anthropic sources of atmospheric particulate matter, demonstrating that stable concentration levels of PM10, such as those found on average during and after the lockdown, can hide important variations in the polluting metal particulate content due to car traffic . Furthermore”, concludes the expert, “with these methods it has been demonstrated that the environmental impact of emissions from brake wear is now exceeding that of particulates due to fuels”.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118191
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Rome, the impact of the 2020 lockdown on airborne particulate matter
The magnetic properties of PM10 filters during and after the 2020 lockdown have been analyzed in Rome
An analysis carried out in the Rome area showed that metallic vehicular emissions, mainly due to brake abrasion, on average doubled compared to those encountered during the strict lockdown period for the containment of the Covid 19 pandemic.
The study The effect of Covid-19 lockdown on airborne particulate matter in Rome, Italy: A magnetic point of view, conducted by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Lazio (ARPA Lazio) has just been published in the scientific journal 'Environmental Pollution'.
"The study", explains Aldo Winkler, INGV researcher and first author of the work, "was inspired by the wide debate aroused by the modest decrease of PM10 levels in Rome during the lockdown, despite the reduction in vehicular traffic, exceeding 50 %, according to data provided by the Municipality of Rome, Apple, ANAS and Teralytics for the newspaper ' The Republic' ".
"We compared the magnetic properties of air quality filters during and after the lockdown", continues the researcher, "dis covering that automotive metal emissions, mainly due to brake abrasion, doubled on average at the end of the more restrictive containment, which lasted from 9 March to 18 May 2020, when traffic was back in line with pre-Covid 19 levels".
"Magnetic analyses", adds Winkler, "have played a decisive role in the discrimination of natural and anthropogenic sources of atmospheric particulate, demonstrating that stable levels of PM10 concentration, such as those found on average during and after the lockdown, can hide important variations in the content of harmful vehicular metallic particles Furthermore", concludes the expert,"with these methods it has been shown that the environmental impact of brake wear emissions is now exceeding that of exhaust particulates due to fuels".
picture 1 - Location and photos of the investigated PM10 stations, compared to suburban and rural background stations.
Fig.1 - Localization and photos of the investigated PM10 stations, that were compared to suburban and rural stations.
Photo 2 - Measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of daily PM10 filters, during (left) and after (right) the lockdown.
Ph. 2 - Magnetic susceptibility measurement of daily PM10 filters daily, during (left) and after (right) the lockdown.
Photo 3 - Measurement of the magnetic hysteresis properties of PM10 filters, with a magnetometer designed for next generation magnetic analyses.
Ph. 3 - Hysteresis properties measurement of PM10 filters, with a new generation magnetometer specifically designed for state-of-the-art magnetic analysis.
