Assessment of water pollution and suitability to fish life in six Italian rivers.

This paper reports the results of a monitoring programme of six rivers (Serchio, Cecina, Cascina, ERa, Elsa and Pavone) that drain north-west Tuscany (Italy). In this area, agricultural, industrial and urbanization pressures affect water quality, also in terms of suitability for the survival of aquatic organisms. The river waters were monitored for several physico-chemical parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, total ammonia, nitrites, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb) in order to assess the anthropogenic impact on the environmental conditions of these watercourses and their suitability for fish life. Statistical data handling was performed for each river and the percentage of physico-chemical parameters that, according to the E.C. law, were over the limits that must not be exceeded to protect fish life, was calculated and a classification was made of the six rivers in this sense. Concerning the metals, inter-element relationships (between chromium and nichel, lead and copper, nichel and lead and copper, copper and lead) were found which allow some remarks on the origins of the anthropogenic impacts, and comparisons were made with two metal-polluted watercourses in northern Italy, the Po and Lambro rivers. From the comparison, the Tuscan rivers showed generally lower metal contamination, especially with respect to the Lambro.

Ozone measurements in the urban and extra-urban areas of Pisa during the summer of 1995.

During the Summer of 1995, atmospheric ozone concentrations were measured in five areas with different geographical and environmental characteristics. The five areas included: 1. Pisan coastline. 2. An urban area with a high volume of traffic. 3. A rural area away from emission sources. 4. Monte Serra (Alt. 900 m). 5. The monitoring station within a small urban park. The aim of this study was to identify relationships between ozone concentrations and the different geophysical factors related to the designated areas, such as traffic volume, height above sea level, and the meteorological aspects of the Pisan coastline.

Mutagenicity and chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter collected in Pisa.

The genotoxic effects of airborne particulate samples collected from two urban areas during various traffic intensity levels were evaluated using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (D7 strain) and Salmonella typhimurium (TA98 and TA100 strains). Standard protocols were used, in compliance with recent legislation. Airborne particulate data reveal that genotoxic effects were more evident in the samples collected in the area with intense moving traffic than in the area with limited traffic. Particulate, benzene, toluene, NO2, CO, and heavy metal determinations in these two areas show that their concentrations are related to the intensity of traffic.