Source and reactivity of some common atmospheric particulate

The influence on our ecosystem caused by dry and/or wet deposition is a matter that has been extensively investigated mainly in the second half of the twenty century time when environmental perception has increased much. In this period several researchers have been deeply worked on, aiming to understand more on physical properties of the main air pollutants, on transport phenomenon of the aerosols, deposition mechanisms of particulate, chemical pathway of gaseous pollutants, damages estimation etc. Conversely poor or nothing has been made on establishing a simple method/procedure finalizing to evaluate the potential chemical reactivity of a particulate coming from both naturally occurring sources or anthropogenic processes at the moment of its emission into the atmosphere. On this subject we have worked for long time on focusing our attention on the potential chemical reactivity that some common emissions are able to directly transfer to the surrounding environment following their impact with water, the more common solvent. To this aim samples of particulate in a form of fine powders or dust as volcanic ash, building demolition dust, common urban dust, diesel soot, oil and coal combustion ashes etc., are subjected to a simple procedure of a chemical characterization. Important parameters having, in our opinion, a key role in human health prevention programs, as moisture, total carbon, heavy metals, ashes, water soluble components, pH of a 10 wt% slurries, total acidity /alkalinity etc., have been assessed. The results obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that both apparent and substantial damages are always linked to a particulate that contain large amount of soluble chemicals, mainly those with a high susceptibility to release elevated loads of total (free and bound) acidity. This is of course how much it happens on subjects located inside a short distance from the emission source as no high dilution of pollutants in the air is possible to gain in a brief time. It may be of course what its happens in many industrial city, in not protected rural areas, end even if in countries subjected to the influence of both wind and high humidity .