60
P. Lazo et al.
smelting industry, and the wind blowing mineral fine particles from the mineral
wastes deposits.
As shows strong and significant correlations with lithogenic elements (Al, Li and
V), (r > 0.6, p < 0.001), and moderate and significant correlations (r = 0.4 − 0.6, p
< 0.01) (see the Appendix, Tables A1 and A2) with the same group of elements (Ti,
Zr, Hf, Cs, Sr, Sc, La, Ce, Yb, U, Th and Fe), by indicating strong effects of wind
blowing fine soil dust particles of local and/or long-range transport of the pollutants
throughout the country. On the other hands, As did not correlate with the elements that
are typical of long-range atmospheric transport such as Cd, Hg, Zn, Cu, by indicating
a higher local emission sources compared to long-range transport of pollutants.
4.7 Antimony, Sb
Sb is naturally occurring in the environment at very low levels. It is emitted to the
environment by both, the natural and the man-made processes. The exposure to antimony and its daily intake by humans is usually not a health concern because the
concentrations in surrounding air and air particulate matter, drinking water, and food
are low or very low (Belzile et al. 2011). Volcanism and weathering are the main
natural sources of Sb. However, the metallic-iron ore mining, smelting industry and
coal combustion are the main sources of Sb pollution (He et al. 2019). Anthropogenic mobilization of Sb is calculated more or less 1000 times higher than the
natural mobilization (UNEP 2013), by indicating high anthropogenic sources of Sb.
Antimony shows similar geochemical properties with As that is attributed to their
geochemically associated elements. Sb travels through the atmosphere as part of its
global biogeochemical cycling process (Belzile et al. 2011).
Sb content in moss samples ranged from 0.05 to 0.45 mg kg
−1 , DW, with an
average content of 0.12 mg kg
−1 , lower than the most reported values of the Sb
content in plants, 1.0 mg kg
−1 , DW and some of them show a linear relationship
between the Sb concentration in soils and that in the plant leaves (Belzile et al. 2011)
by indicating higher Sb content in soils than in atmospheric deposition in Albania.
Sb shows a moderate distribution in moss samples (CV% = 66%), and high values
of skeweness (2.7) and kurtosis (8) by indicating the presence of some outliers from
the homogenous distribution of Sb throughout the country.
The spatial analysis plot of Sb showed a very slight increasing gradient from the
south to the north (Sb = 0.118 + 0.00014 × n, n represent the number of sampling
sites) (Fig. 4.7). It is probably linked with the combination of the long-range transport
and strong effects of local emission sources such as geogenic factor and windblowing
dust from Cu industrial and mining waste deposits in the north, emission from iron
and steel metallurgy, and waste burning in open urban wastes disposals.
The highest Sb contents were found in St. 24 (0.412 mg kg
−1 ) and St. 27
(0.452 mg kg
−1 ) (respectively Elbasan and Kruja), both positioned in central part
of Albania and only 20−30 km far from Tirana. High enrichment in this area is
probably derived by historical deposition and the accumulation of Sb from iron and
P. Lazo et al.
smelting industry, and the wind blowing mineral fine particles from the mineral
wastes deposits.
As shows strong and significant correlations with lithogenic elements (Al, Li and
V), (r > 0.6, p < 0.001), and moderate and significant correlations (r = 0.4 − 0.6, p
< 0.01) (see the Appendix, Tables A1 and A2) with the same group of elements (Ti,
Zr, Hf, Cs, Sr, Sc, La, Ce, Yb, U, Th and Fe), by indicating strong effects of wind
blowing fine soil dust particles of local and/or long-range transport of the pollutants
throughout the country. On the other hands, As did not correlate with the elements that
are typical of long-range atmospheric transport such as Cd, Hg, Zn, Cu, by indicating
a higher local emission sources compared to long-range transport of pollutants.
4.7 Antimony, Sb
Sb is naturally occurring in the environment at very low levels. It is emitted to the
environment by both, the natural and the man-made processes. The exposure to antimony and its daily intake by humans is usually not a health concern because the
concentrations in surrounding air and air particulate matter, drinking water, and food
are low or very low (Belzile et al. 2011). Volcanism and weathering are the main
natural sources of Sb. However, the metallic-iron ore mining, smelting industry and
coal combustion are the main sources of Sb pollution (He et al. 2019). Anthropogenic mobilization of Sb is calculated more or less 1000 times higher than the
natural mobilization (UNEP 2013), by indicating high anthropogenic sources of Sb.
Antimony shows similar geochemical properties with As that is attributed to their
geochemically associated elements. Sb travels through the atmosphere as part of its
global biogeochemical cycling process (Belzile et al. 2011).
Sb content in moss samples ranged from 0.05 to 0.45 mg kg
−1 , DW, with an
average content of 0.12 mg kg
−1 , lower than the most reported values of the Sb
content in plants, 1.0 mg kg
−1 , DW and some of them show a linear relationship
between the Sb concentration in soils and that in the plant leaves (Belzile et al. 2011)
by indicating higher Sb content in soils than in atmospheric deposition in Albania.
Sb shows a moderate distribution in moss samples (CV% = 66%), and high values
of skeweness (2.7) and kurtosis (8) by indicating the presence of some outliers from
the homogenous distribution of Sb throughout the country.
The spatial analysis plot of Sb showed a very slight increasing gradient from the
south to the north (Sb = 0.118 + 0.00014 × n, n represent the number of sampling
sites) (Fig. 4.7). It is probably linked with the combination of the long-range transport
and strong effects of local emission sources such as geogenic factor and windblowing
dust from Cu industrial and mining waste deposits in the north, emission from iron
and steel metallurgy, and waste burning in open urban wastes disposals.
The highest Sb contents were found in St. 24 (0.412 mg kg
−1 ) and St. 27
(0.452 mg kg
−1 ) (respectively Elbasan and Kruja), both positioned in central part
of Albania and only 20−30 km far from Tirana. High enrichment in this area is
probably derived by historical deposition and the accumulation of Sb from iron and