A 14-year measurement of toxic elements in atmospheric particulates in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2008

Abstract

Toxic elements in the atmosphere can enter and accumulate in the human body, seriously impacting human health. In this study, we analyzed a 14-year (1995–2008) measurement of three toxic elements (As, Cd and Cr) in PM10 in Hong Kong, China. The pollution of these toxic elements in Hong Kong was not serious. The trend analysis showed that As and Cr in PM10 increased at a statistically significant level (p < 0.05) during the 14-year period, while the Cd in PM10 did not change significantly. Typical seasonal variations were observed for all three toxic elements, largely in relation to the Asian monsoon. Hourly 10-day backward trajectories were computed and categorised into four groups. The continental air masses showed much higher concentrations of the three toxic elements than the marine air masses. The abundances of As and Cd in the PM10 were much higher in the continental air masses than those in the marine air masses, while the abundances of Cr showed an opposite pattern. The trends of the three toxic elements in East China’s air mass were consistent with those in the overall data set of Hong Kong. Examination of the toxic element data recorded at urban sites and a roadside site also indicated a large contribution of external air masses to particulate As and Cd in Hong Kong. These results suggest that the long-range transport from the mainland of China is the dominant contributor to particulate As and Cd, while both local and long-distance sources determine the particulate Cr in Hong Kong.