MONITORING OF PARTICLES PM10 AND PM2.5 IN THE MITROVICA URBAN ATMOSPHERE - KOSOVA

9th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference - SGEM2009, www.sgem.org, SGEM2009 Conference Proceedings/ ISBN 10: 954-91818-1-2, June 14-19, 2009, Vol. 2, 351-356 pp

ABSTRACT

The city of Mitrovica, approximately 40 km north of Prishtina, was the site of one the
largest lead smelters in Europe. The present environmental situation in Mitrovica, put as
in front of the responsibility to act more rationally towards nature and to be more
responsible towards the protection of the environment for future generations.
The lack of protection of the environment during the last ten years, as well as the
conflict in Kosova are the origin of huge problems regarding present environmental
situation in Mitrovica (Kosova).
Mitrovica has its air divided in two kinds, speaking in quality terms:
Air above rural and mountainous zones, which is clean.
Air above city urban of the center and nearby different plants, which is more polluted.
Urban air contains dust particles and gases, added on it is as results of normal activity of
the city and industries in them.
Now Mitrovica can be cited as one of the capitals of Europe with worst air pollution.
Exposure to airborne particulates PM10 and PM2,5 containing low concentrations of
heavy metals, such as Pb, Cd and Zn, may have serious health effects. However, little is
known about the specification and particle size of these airborne metals. Fine and PM10
particles size with heavy metals in aerosol samples from the Mitrovica urban area, were
examinated in detail to investigate metal concentrations and speciation. The crystal
structures of the particles containing Pb, Cd and Zn were determined from their electron
diffraction patterns by XRF methods.

Keywords: Atmospheric particulates, heavy metals, PM10, PM2.5