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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | Camilleri, Renato | |
dc.contributor.author | Vella, Alfred J. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2017-02-20T07:55:04Z | |
dc.date.available | 2017-02-20T07:55:04Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Camilleri, R., & Vella, A. J. (2010). Effect of fireworks on ambient air quality in Malta. Atmospheric Environment, 44(35), 4521-4527. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/16627 | |
dc.description | The authors gratefully acknowledge a research grant awarded in support of this work by the Maltese Catholic Church’s Archdiocesan Environment Commission. | en_GB |
dc.description.abstract | Religious festivals (festas) in the densely populated Maltese archipelago (Central Mediterranean) are ubiquitous during summer when 86 of them are celebrated between June and October, each involving the burning of fireworks both in ground and aerial displays over a period of 3 days or longer per festival. We assessed the effect of fireworks on the air quality by comparing PM10 and its content of Al, Ba, Cu, Sr and Sb which materials are used in pyrotechnic compositions. PM10 was collected mainly from two sites, one in Malta (an urban background site) and the other in Gozo (a rural site) during July-August 2005 when 59 feasts were celebrated and September-October 2005 when only 11 feasts occurred. For both Malta and Gozo, PM10 and metal concentration levels measured as weekly means were significantly higher during July-August compared to September-October and there exist strong correlations between PM10 and total metal content. Additionally, for Malta dust, Al, Ba, Cu and Sr correlated strongly with each other and also with total concentration of all five metals. The same parameters measured in April 2006 in Malta were at levels similar to those found in the previous October. Ba and Sb in dust from the urban background site in Malta during July-August were at comparable or higher concentration than recently reported values in PM10 from a heavily-trafficked London road and this suggests that these metals are locally not dominated by sources from roadside materials such as break liner wear but more likely by particulate waste from fireworks. Our findings point to the fact that festa firework displays contribute significantly and for a prolonged period every year to airborne dust in Malta where PM10 is an intractable air quality concern. The presence in this dust of elevated levels of Ba and especially Sb, a possible carcinogen, is of concern to health. | en_GB |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Pergamon Press | en_GB |
dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | en_GB |
dc.subject | Fireworks -- Malta | en_GB |
dc.subject | Air quality -- Environmental aspects -- Malta | en_GB |
dc.subject | Air quality -- Malta -- Evaluation | en_GB |
dc.title | Effect of fireworks on ambient air quality in Malta | en_GB |
dc.type | article | en_GB |
dc.rights.holder | The copyright of this work belongs to the author(s)/publisher. The rights of this work are as defined by the appropriate Copyright Legislation or as modified by any successive legislation. Users may access this work and can make use of the information contained in accordance with the Copyright Legislation provided that the author must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the prior permission of the copyright holder. | en_GB |
dc.description.reviewed | peer-reviewed | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.07.057 | |
Appears in Collections: | Scholarly Works - FacSciChe |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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Effects of fireworks on ambient air quality in Malta.pdf | 1.31 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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