Distribution and temporal variability of uranium and toxic metal(loid)s in snow and rainwater from an oil industry and urban area in Thessaloniki-Greece

Panagiotis Tsamos; Pavlos Kolias; Dimitra Lambropoulou; Fotini Noli

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155604

Distribution and temporal variability of uranium and toxic metal(loid)s in snow and rainwater from an oil industry and urban area in Thessaloniki-Greece

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Sep 10;838(Pt 1):155604. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155604. Epub 2022 May 4.

Authors

Panagiotis Tsamos¹, Pavlos Kolias², Dimitra Lambropoulou³, Fotini Noli⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
² Department of Mathematics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
³ Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center, Thessaloniki, GR-57001, Greece.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: noli@chem.auth.gr.

PMID: 35525341
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155604

Abstract

The concentrations of uranium and nine elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in snow and rainwater samples were determined. Samples were collected in Thessaloniki-northern Greece in three sites, one in the industrial area close to an oil production power plant and two in the centre of the city. Snow samples were collected during January-February 2019 and 2021 whereas in the case of rainwater, a two-year survey has been performed during 2019 and 2020. The activity concentrations of the uranium radioisotopes were measured by alpha spectrometry whereas the metal(loid)s concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The elevated concentrations of uranium (U) and the deviation of the isotopic ratio of U-234/U-238 from the equilibrium value indicated intensive dissolution of uranium. The results were analyzed using statistical analysis (Shapiro-Wilk, Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests). The obtained data and the calculated enrichment factors (Efs) denote variation of the concentration values between industrial and urban area and different elemental distribution influenced from anthropogenic contributions, meteorological conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Heavy metal(loid)s; Rainwater; Snow; Statistics; Uranium.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Greece
Humans
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Pandemics
Snow / chemistry
Uranium* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Uranium-238
Uranium