Evaluating the suitability of different environmental samples for tracing atmospheric pollution in industrial areas

- Samples provide different type of information regarding pollution sources.
- Snow samples are the most suitable for tracing recent local pollution.
- Lichens can be used as tracers of long-term pollution.
- PM10 can be useful for evaluation of current pollution sources.
- Three main sources of Pb are identified.

Samples of lichens, snow and particulate matter (PM10, 24 h) are used for the source identification of air pollution in the heavily industrialized region of Ostrava, Upper Silesia, Czech Republic. An integrated approach that uses different environmental samples for metal concentration and Pb isotope analyses was applied. The broad range of isotope ratios in the samples indicates a combination of different pollution sources, the strongest among them being the metallurgical industry, bituminous coal combustion and traffic. Snow samples are proven as the most relevant indicator for tracing metal(loid)s and recent local contamination in the atmosphere. Lichens can be successfully used as tracers of the long-term activity of local and remote sources of contamination. The combination of PM10 with snow can provide very useful information for evaluation of current pollution sources.

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