Research Article
Application of Neutron Activation Analysis forDetermination of As, Cr, Hg, and Se in Mosses in theMetropolitan Area of the Valley of Toluca, Mexico
R. Mejía-Cuero,
1,2
G. García-Rosales,
2
L. C. Longoria-Gándara,
1,3
M. C. López-Reyes,
1
and P. Ávila-Pérez
1,2
National Institute for Nuclear Research, Carretera M ´exico-oluca S/N, La Marquesa, Ocoyoacac, MEX, Mexico
Departamento de Posgrado, Instituto ecnol ´ogico de oluca, Ex-Rancho la Virgen S/N, Metepec, MEX, Mexico
Division for Latin America, Department of echnical Cooperation, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Strasse ,P.O. Box , Vienna, Austria
Correspondence should be addressed to G. Garc´ıa-Rosales; ggarciarosales@gmail.comReceived December ; Revised March ; Accepted April Academic Editor: Qiang JinCopyright © R. Mej´ıa-Cuero et al.TisisanopenaccessarticledistributedundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionLicense,which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the srcinal work is properly cited.Tis research presents a study o environmental monitoring at different sampling sites rom the Metropolitan Area o the Valley o oluca (MAV), Mexico, using mosses (
Leskea angustata
(ayl.) and
Fabronia ciliaris
(Brid.)) and soil samples. Te epiphyticmossesandsoilsweresampledintwocampaignswithintwoperiodsotheyear,arainyanddry-coldseason.Teselectedsamplingsites included urban regions (UR), transitional regions (R), and protected natural areas (PA). Te samples were analyzed by theInstrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) to determine As, Cr, Hg, and Se principally. However, due to the versatility o the analytic technique used, other elements including Cs, Co, Sc, Sb, Rb, Ce, La, Eu, and Yb were also detected. Statistical analysis(As, Cr, Hg, and Se) was carried out with principal components and cluster analysis methods; this revealed that a good correlationexists between metal content in mosses and the degree o pollution in the areas sampled. Te obtained results in mosses showedthat the concentrations o As, Cr, Co, Cs, Rb, Ce, La, and Yb increased with respect to the concentrations obtained during therst sampling, whereas Se, Sc, Sb and Eu, concentrations were decreased. For As and Hg, the concentrations were similar in bothsampling periods. Te soil samples present the most signicant concentration.
1. Introduction
Te Metropolitan Area o the Valley o oluca (MAV) islocated in the central area o the State o Mexico and iscomprisedosevenmunicipalitieswithapopulationoabout.million.ItisthemostindustrializedregionoMexicowithdifferent areas o industry (tanneries, electroplating, textile,and kraf pulp bleaching) and also the signicant amounto traffic [], resulting in the emission o various pollutantsintotheatmosphere.Currentlythedepositionlevelsometalsincluding As, Cr, Hg, and Se rom the atmosphere to thebiosphere may be signicantly increased as a result o theanthropogenic input o ossil uels, dust rom agriculture,industry and metallurgy, or natural sources. Due to thediversity o their habitats, their structural simplicity, andrapid rate o multiplication, some mosses may be useultools or prospective studies to determine environmentalconditions and are ideal organisms or studying depositiono pollutants rom the atmosphere to vegetation []. Mossesare ound in many different environments and consideredas indicators o elemental pollution []. Several previousstudies have used plants and mosses as biomonitors becausethey acilitate the measurement o pollutant deposition [].Te diversity o mosses depends on the weather and sub-strate where they develop [] and the actors limiting theirdistribution are essentially water, temperature, and altitude.Te concentration o metals and other elements in mossesmay depend on morphological eatures [], wind direction,topography, altitude, latitude, and time o exposure. Addi-tionally, topsoil analysis has been widely used to evaluate
Hindawi Publishing CorporationJournal of Chemistry Volume 2015, Article ID 278326, 13 pageshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/278326
Journal o Chemistry the uptake o contaminants in ecosystems, to estimate themaximum concentration o metal and other elements, and toevaluate their importance as a source o the metals and otherelements absorbed by mosses []. Te organic raction o thetopsoil, in particular, the humus, can be used or measuringatmospheric deposition o metals and other elements [].In this context, the aim o this research is to determine theconcentrations o As, Cr, Hg, and Se in mosses and topsoilrom sampling sites in MAV using INAA. Te advantageo using INAA is the minimal sample preparation neededor analysis compared to methods and its multielement thatcan be nondestructive, with adequate limits o detection orthe majority o metals and other elements o environmentalinterest [].
2. Material and Methods
.. Sampling.
First o all, the sampling sites were careully inspectedtodeterminethemossspeciespresentateachsite(different moss species were identied). However, not all wereound in all the sites investigated due to the characteristicso each area. Consequently, the main two dominant specieso epiphytic mosses were
Fabronia ciliaris
(Brid.) and
Leskeaangustata
(ayl.); these were collected in two samplingcampaigns rom the urban region (UR), transitional region(R), and the protected natural area (PA). Te rst samplingwas perormed in November (dry season, autumn) andthesecondinAugust(rainyseason,summer);eachothesampling sites was selected afer considering the prevailingwinds,theproximityothesitecomparedtoareaswithhigherpopulation density, vehicular traffic, industrial activity, andthe availability o mosses.en grams o epiphytic mosses was collected rom six toten trees in a height greater than one meter. Moss sampleswereremovedromthetreeusingaplasticspatulaandplacedin polythene bags or transport to the laboratory. Duringsampling, observations o habitat type and relative density o moss carpets were perormed.Fortherstsampling,sevensamplingpointswerelocatedin parks in urban regions (UR) (sites – were identiedas Negrete, Alameda, Reorma, H´ıpico, Pilita, Sant´ın, and
olloc´an), two sampling points (sites and , identied asLomas and San Miguel) were located in transition regions(R), and three sampling sites were located within naturalareas (PA) (sites , , and , identied as San Anto-nio, Cacalomac´an, and Ciervita) (Figure ). For the second
sampling, our sampling points were added to expand themonitoredarea:threeweresituatedintransitionregions(R)(sites , , and , identied as Acazulco, Pedregal, andAmeyalco)andonewassituatedinanaturalarea(PA)(site,identied as San Diego). Te topsoil samples were collectedrom the same locations according to previously publishedmethodology [].
.. Sample Preparation.
In the laboratory the mosses wereplaced in trays and dried at room temperature via exposureto sunlight or to days. Ten, the samples were groundwith an agate mortar and pestle to obtain a particle size o .mm, and the product was stored in labeled polyethylenebottles (high density). Te collected topsoil samples werecleanedromextraneousplantmaterialsanddriedatambientroomtemperature,sortedtoremovegravel,andthenhomog-enizedandpassedthroughastainless-steelsieveo.mmaperture. Te resultant samples were stored in polyethylenebottles (high density).
.. Chemical Composition.
Te INAA was carried out atthe Department o Reactor, Neutron Activation AnalysisLaboratory, National Institute o Nuclear Research in Mexico(ININ). INAA was conducted using the standard method o analytical procedures and employed, described in detail by ravesi, [].o provide quality control, contents o elements yieldingshort- and long-lived isotopes were determined using certi-ed standard reerence materials (SRM). For analysis o themoss samples, standards were used: Lichen- rom IAEA(International Atomic Energy Agency), Citrus Leaves SRM- rom the US NIS (National Institute o Standards andechnology), and the SRM or topsoil Soil- rom IAEA andSRM- Montana II Soil rom US NIS or the measuredelements;thosereerencematerialswereanalyzedintriplicatealongwiththesurveyomossandtopsoilsamples.Teresultsor the SRM were within –% o certied values; mgo moss, topsoil, and control was added to quartz ampouleso mm in diameter and cm o length. SRM and sampleswere irradiated at the RIGA-MARK III nuclear researchreactor at the ININ in Mexico, using a neutron ux density o
0.9 × 10
13
ncm
−2
s
−1
or hours in a SIFCA position.Afer irradiation, the samples were repacked and mea-sured afer days or minutes to determine
76
As,
140
La,
175
Yb, and
177
Lu, secondly they were measured afer daysorhoursto determine
203
Hg,
141
Ce,
60
Co,
51
Cr,
86
Rb,
124
Sb,and
46
Sc, and nally they were measured between and days or – hours to determine
75
Se,
152
Eu, and
134
Cs. Tegamma spectra o the samples were measured with a gammaspectrometer with a HPGe detector at a resolution (FWHM)o .keV and or the peak at keV corresponding to
60
Co. A multichannel analyzer, the OREC, operatedwith a peak determination program which was used oranalysis. Data processing was perormed using the sofwaredeveloped in ININ and Hypermet-PC. Te element contentswere determined on the basis o SRM and ux comparators[, ].
.. Statistical Analysis.
Te correlations between the sam-pling sites and metal concentration (or Hg, Se, Cr, and As)inmossesandtopsoilsweredeterminedviastatisticalanalysiswiththeStatistics.inormaticprogram[],usingprincipalcomponent analysis (PCA) with the cluster option (CA).
3. Results and Discussion
.. Chemical Composition Analysis in Moss Samples.
Teresults obtained or the rst sampling are summarized inable , where it is observed that the presence o As, Cr, Hg,and Se was due to the sensitivity o the analysis technique
Journal o Chemistry
Symbology Natural protected areasArea of study Municipal limitWinds in summerWinds in winterPoints of samplingUrbanPoints1234567891011121314151620 0 20(km)Altitude2685266226442668262325962589267627402579268327652705310027443317TransitionNatural
NSW E
F : Sampling sites, wind directions, and altitudes in the MAV.
used. Other elements such as Co, Cs, Sc, Sb, Rb, Ce, La, Eu,and Yb were also detected. It is important to consider thatsome o these elements can be present in the plant’s tissues asa component o irregularly shaped particles adsorbed to theplant surace.Te results obtained indicate the relative concentrationsas Co
>
Cr
>
Rb
>
Ce
>
La
>
Sc
>
As
>
Sb
>
Se
>
Cs
>
Yb
>
Hg
>
Eu. Te sites with the highest elemental concentrationsare located in UR and R and they do not demonstratea trend. Tis behavior can perhaps be attributed to thegeographical site location (topography) and characteristicso each sampling site. Te presence o some elements in thesamples may be due to natural, local, or secondary sources.Te highest concentrations o As were ound in Reormaand olloc´an located in the center o MAV correspondingto UR and San Antonio located in PA. Arsenic is widely distributed in soils, water, and air. It is a component o more than different minerals. Teir speciation o theelement is a key actor in controlling mobility, availability,andtoxicityinnaturalenvironments.Arsenicoccurrenceandmobilization take place through a combination o naturalprocesses, or example, through water reactions, biologicalactivity, and volcanic emissions. Anthropogenic activitiesaccountorwidespreadAscontaminationarisingromavari-etyoindustrialprocessessuchaswoodpreservatives,paints,alloys, semiconductors, ossil uel combustion, mine wastes,smelting, landlling, sewerage, and agricultural applications(pesticides and ertilizer) which may also introduce As intothe environment [].Te sites with the high concentrations o Cr are commoninAlameda,olloc´an,H´ıpico,andNegrete,whicharelocated
Journal o Chemistry
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