Can the contamination of urban street sediment be used as an indicator for traffic density? A case-study in the city of Leuven, Belgium

The concentration, in urban street sediment, of 13 chemical elements was measured in the city of Leuven, Belgium. A total of 77 locations were sampled in pedestrian zones, streets with limited traffic, streets with much traffic, and on the ring road that has very busy traffic. The data were compared to NO2 concentrations measured by the CurieuzeNeuzen-Vlaanderen project, a large-scale study with 20,000 sampling points all over Flanders (the northern part of Belgium). NO2 is a frequently used indicator for traffic pollution. In Leuven the highest enrichment (strongest pollution) was measured fo... Mehr ...