Air pollution studies in Slovakia using aerosol filters and biomonitoring technique

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) were employed in order to evaluate the concentrations of up to 36 chemical elements (heavy metals, rare earths, and actinides) in the atmospheric aerosols. Two sampling sites in Bratislava were examined. The first site, Liscie udolie, is quite a pristine location with low traffic density. The second sampling site is close to the crude oil processing plant Slovnaft. The influence of the steel industry in Veľká Ida and thermal power plant in Prievidza were investigated. The most heavily contaminated sampling site, in the vicinity of the Tusimice surface coal mine in the Czech Republic, was also included in this study. The levels of pollutant concentrations were compared to those in the atmosphere of another five European sites: Krakow (Poland); Budapest (Hungary); Ispra, Ponzone and Milan (Italy). Terrestrial moss Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens were collected in the environs of the Slovnaft oil plant to monitor heavy metal atmospheric deposition. The elemental concentrations in moss samples were compared to the Slovakian median values and the Norwegian ones.