RESUMEN
Size distribution of toxicants in airborne particulates remains insufficiently investigated in Algeria. A 1-year campaign was performed at Bab Ezzouar, Algiers (Algeria), aimed at characterizing particulates for their physical and chemical features. For this purpose, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy (RaS), and GC-MS methodologies were applied. The samples were collected on daily basis by means of a high-volume sampling (HVS) system equipped with cascade impactor separating three size fractions, i.e., particles with aerodynamic diameters d < 1.0 µm (PM1), 1.0 µm
RESUMEN
Two monitoring campaigns were conducted in northern Algeria to assess the contamination level of pesticides and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in ambient air. Six pesticides (α- and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, fenitrothion, malathion, chlorpyrifos and λ-cyhalothrin) were monitored at two different sampling locations during the first campaign. The passive sampling was performed at a semi urban/industrial site but also in a rural area between July to September 2008. The pesticides levels, analyzed by GC/MS/MS, ranged from 16 pg m(-3) to 11 ng m(-3). The second campaign was carried out from May to November 2009. The polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) concentrations were evaluated at an urban/industrial and at an industrial site. The PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, analyzed by HRGC/HRMS, ranged from 249 to 923 fg TEQ m(-3). In addition to passive sampling, active sampling using an isokinetic sampler was also performed at an industrial waste incinerator. The PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs found was 268 pg TEQ m(-3). This paper presents the first measurements of PCDD/Fs, dl-PCBs and pesticides in rural, urban and industrial areas of northern Algeria.