A comparative air pollution study Germany-Romania

While in America and Western Europe the measurement of air pollution became rather a routine work, for many other countries this is a new and present-day task. Besides, a reliable analytical tool allowing to obtain absolute concentration values of the pollutants, necessary to compare these values and to estimate the pollution level, a reference system is required. The air pollution level of particulate matter at two locations in Germany and Romania (Stuttgart-Hohenheim and Bucharest-Magurele) was simultaneously studied during one year. The collection of airborne particles was performed in weekly intervals on membrane filters of cellulose acetate. The total air volume passing through the filters was about 250 m3. The environmentally relevant elements As, Ba, Br, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Se, V and Zn were determined. Instrumental neutron activation analysis at Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering Bucharest and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis at Institute of Physics at Stuttgart - Hohenheim were used. To test the suitability of a simple bio-accumulator method, the deposition of pollutants on the grass grown under standard conditions was additionally investigated. Generally, concentrations in air of the elements studied are higher in Bucharest than in Stuttgart. (authors)