In this case study, aerosol pollution and passenger exposure were investigated while travelling on different public transport vehicles in Hungary. Two sampling campaigns were carried out: one in autumn 2012 and the other in spring 2014. Concentration, elemental composition and the size distribution of aerosol samples were determined in order to characterize the atmospheric particulate matter (APM) pollution inside the vehicles. The concentration of the PMcoarse fraction inside the different vehicles varied between 29 and 354 μg m−3, while the PM2.5 concentrations were found to be between 12 and 192 μg m−3. This was significantly (2–19 times) higher than the outdoor concentration values. The main sources of the increased exposure were the resuspended mineral and road dust, including salt and fertilizers, and the direct exhaust of the vehicles. Rail abrasion and disinfectant and cleaning materials also contributed considerably to the aerosol pollution inside the vehicles. Moreover, organic fibrous particles were found in great number on the samples by single particle analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
The paper introduces the particle-induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE) of two Hajdúböszörmény-type situlae from the eponymous Hajdúböszörmény I hoard (collection of the Hungarian National Museum, Budapest) and Sényő (collection of the Jósa András Museum, Nyíregyháza). Both situlae are representative types of the period between 1080 and 960 BC, Ha B1, or the ‘Hajdúböszörmény hoard horizon’ of the Hungarian Late Bronze Age. The obtained results are significant in that they are the very first to characterise the classic Hajdúböszörmény-type situla from their core distribution area, i.e., the region where this metal vessel type was presumably produced. The paper is focused on a description of the elemental composition of these tin bronze vessels, with particular attention on the grouping of their accompanying elements and the ratio of tin. The PIXE results suggest that a rather homogenous raw material was used to produce and repair these objects, which can be correlated with the CG16 Copper Group. The ratio of tin was relatively high, mostly around 9–10 wt%; low values were only identified on one of the repaired parts of the Sényő situla and a secondarily attached copper rivet.