Source apportionment of metallic elements in urban atmospheric particulate matter and assessment of its water-soluble fraction toxicity.

Clean air is essential for the maintenance of human life and environmental balance. The atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is one of the main air pollutants and is characterized by the heterogeneity of its composition, being able to accumulate numerous components, such as metallic elements, which contribute to increasing its toxicity. The objectives of this study were to assess of the air quality in two urban environments, to carry out the source apportionment of the metallic elements Al, Ba, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn in the PM2.5 and PM2.5-10, and evaluate the toxicity of PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 water-soluble fractions using Lactuca sativa as bioindicator. The collection of PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 was performed using a dichotomous stacked filter unit (SFU) sampler. The source apportionment was carried out using the EPA PMF 5.0 receptor model and the toxicity tests followed the EPA Ecological Effects Test Guidelines OPPTS 850.4200: Seed Germination/Root Elongation Toxicity Test. The source apportionment demonstrated that vehicular and industrial emissions are the main anthropogenic sources contributing to the concentration of metallic elements to thePM2.5 and PM2.5-10. The studied sites did not show statistically significant differences in terms of phytotoxicity to the Lactuca sativa seeds. Cd and Cu were identified as the main metallic elements which able to cause negative effects on seed germination and root elongation, respectively. The presence of cadmium and copper in the atmospheric particulate matter is one of the main causes of the phytotoxicity affecting the Lactuca sativa seed germination and root elongation.