Airborne Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu concentration by particle size near a Pb smelter

Abstract

A study of airborne Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu was conducted on 2 farms: a test farm exposed to a lead smelter and associated sources of lead contamination in the New Lead Belt of southeast Missouri, and a control farm outside the lead production area. An Andersen eight-stage impactor sampler was used on both farms to collect air samples during winter, spring and summer seasons. The trace element concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations of all four elements were higher on the test farm than on the control farm in all of the three seasons. Approximately 66% of the Pb. 88% of the Cd. 73% of the Zn and 54% of the Cu was composed of particles smaller than 4.7 μm the upper practical limit of respirable size.