Use of lead isotopic fingerprint in human scalp hair to identify potential sources of pollution in industrial Sicilian sites (Italy)

Abstract

Petrochemical industries represent a controversial, although important, the economic resource. They offer numerous job opportunities, which in turn contribute to the economic development of the city. People living in towns close to industrial plants are particularly exposed to severe environmental decline, which involves the deterioration of the quality of air, water, soil, and food. The municipalities of Augusta (SR), Gela (CL) and Pace del Mela (ME) host large oil refineries, together with several important chemical and petrochemical industries. The main goal of this study is to evaluate if stable lead isotope ratios measured in the biological matrix can be used as pollution fingerprints. Total lead concentrations in 354 human scalp hair samples from adolescents (11– 13 years old) belonging to both genders, along with 16 lead isotope analyses in hair samples from Augusta (6 samples), Gela (6 samples) and Pace del Mela (4 samples) are discussed here. Pb concentrations of adolescents living at Pace del Mela resulted higher than those of adolescents living at Augusta and Gela (median values PbPM: 1.13 μg/g, PbAU: 0.36 μg/g and PbGL: 0.43 μg/g, respectively). Hair from adolescent living in the three industrial sites exhibited lead isotope ratios in the ranges 1.138–1.171 (average 1.157) for 206Pb/207Pb and 2.093–2.122 (average 2.108) for 208Pb/206Pb. These values pointed to a multi-source mixing between bedrock parent material and industrial ash. In general, the results obtained confirm that the towns of Augusta, Gela and Pace del Mela are heavily affected by industrial emissions. Moreover, the data endorse that the lead isotope method remains a powerful technique to identify potential sources of environmental contamination.