The effect of transportation related air pollutants on surrounding vegetation and bodies of water

Keywords: Biomonitoring, Air pollutant deposition, Trace metals
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 21

Abstract

This presentation will outline a Master’s of Science research thesis from the University of Toronto Mississauga which investigates the flow of transportation-related air pollutants and explore how the air pollutants are deposited on near-road vegetation and through to their entry into surrounding water bodies after a rainfall. For this study, vegetation samples will be collected from near-road locations. Samples will be collected both before and after rainfall events to investigate the effect of precipitation on the accumulated pollutants and their downwash into surrounding bodies of water. A trace metal analysis will be conducted to quantify concentrations on the leaf and provide evidence to suggest the sources of the deposited particulates. This research will test the difference in the trace metals such as Titanium, Copper and Chromium that exist in gasoline, brake and tire wear in the selected leaf samples from the chosen vegetation site. Once the selected leaf samples have been collected, they will go through an acid digestion and microwave heating in preparation for an ICP mass spectrometry analysis. This analysis will produce a chemical breakdown in which the origin of the different particulates can be identified and further investigated. Overall, this study will expand the research field of how air pollution from motor vehicles transfers into the soil and aquatic environments, including deposition rates on surrounding vegetation and into the nearby soil and bodies of water