Abstract
Urban forest parks play important roles in improving environments, protecting biodiversity and even public welfare. Aerosols, including total suspended particles (TSP) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), were simultaneously collected in an urban forest park (Dafushan) at Guangzhou, southern China, from January 2012 to December 2013. The concentrations of 12 metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn) in both TSP and PM2.5 were quantified using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. The origins and possible sources of the studied metals in the PM2.5 and TSP were evaluated using the crustal enrichment factors and the principal component analysis, respectively. The results showed that Dafushan urban forest park was polluted by PM2.5 rather than by TSP. The PM2.5 and TSP in the forest park exhibited seasonal patterns with significantly higher contents in the dry season compared with the rainy season. The metals Al, Zn, Pb were the most abundant, while Hg was the lowest metals in the aerosols. The ratios of PM2.5/TSP ratio indicated that the metals were predominant in the finer particles (PM2.5). The crustal enrichment factors indicated that Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Se and Zn in the aerosols originated from anthropogenic sources, while Al and Mn were mainly of crustal origin. The principal component analysis implied that industrial activities, traffic-related emissions, and soil dust were the main possible sources of the metals in both PM2.5 and TSP in Dafushan forest park.
Highlights
Total suspended particles (TSP) and especially particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) are frequently considered as atmospheric pollutants due to their ability to bind to toxic substances and hazardous matter
The annual total suspended particles (TSP) level was comparable to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of
120 μg·m−3, while the PM2.5 level was approximately twice as high as the NAAQS of 35 μg·m−3 [27]. These results implied that the urban forest park was polluted by PM2.5 rather than TSP
Summary
Total suspended particles (TSP) and especially particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) are frequently considered as atmospheric pollutants due to their ability to bind to toxic substances and hazardous matter. Numerous studies have confirmed the close relationships between the high concentrations of TSP, PM2.5 and an increased risk of respiratory symptoms, cancer and even mortality rates [1,2,3,4]. Besides their adverse effects on visibility [5], TSP and PM2.5 have been found to be the carriers of pathogenic bacteria that lead to fatal diseases [6] and toxic metals that result in human dysfunction and various diseases [4,7,8]. The toxic metals in aerosols originating from the intensive anthropogenic activities were reported at concentrations far higher than their natural background levels in many regions of China, especially in the city clusters such as the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin Area, and the
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