Magnetometry as a tool to evaluate the environmental pollution

This paper presents the use of magnetometry to study pollution of soil and air. The magnetic method consists in determining the magnetic properties of pollution floating in the air and deposited in the soil, the leaves of trees or household dust in apartments. The method based on the fact that the magnetic particles present in the pollution are associated with heavy metals and toxic trace elements harmful to human health. The study of traffic pollution was focused on the spatial distribution of pollution in soils along roads in relation to the distance from the edge of road, the area topography and the factors affecting the speed of motor transport (traffic lights, traffic jams, road narrowing, etc.). The study of air pollution allowed to determine the seasonal correlation between pollution deposited on filters and meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity and precipitation. Detailed analysis of magnetic susceptibility as an indicator of pollution revealed increasing trend with temperature and absolute humidity in the cold months of the year and the decreasing trend in the warm months. Similar correlations were not observed between the magnetic susceptibility and the precipitation. The second part presents a study of indoor air pollution based on measurements of dust collected in apartments in different districts of Warsaw. It was found that floor on which dust was taken did not affect the amount and composition of pollution in opposite to vehicle traffic, housing density and way of ventilation. Study shows that the most polluted apartments are in the Center, in the district of Praga Południe, Mokotów and Ursynów located close to the narrow streets with the large vehicle traffic and poor ventilation. Correlation of the magnetic susceptibility with the concentration of heavy metals in household dust is the base for use of susceptibility for monitoring indoor air pollution