Abstract
Measurements of trace metals and inorganic ions were carried out on PM10 aerosols sampled at two sites in the city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Samples were collected with a Thermo Andersen high volume PM sampler on glass fiber and quartz filters. The ions SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, F-, PO43-, NH4+, K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ were analyzed by ion chromatography and the trace metals V, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, Mn, Fe and Al were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrometer with a graphite furnace attachment. The results indicated that SO42-was the most abundant ion, and Al the trace metal with the highest concentration. Pearson's correlation applied to all data showed a high correlation among SO42-, NO3- and NH4+, indicating a common anthropogenic origin. In addition, the correlation found between Na+ -K+ and Ca2+ -Mg2+ indicated a crustal origin. No correlation was found among the trace metals except Cu-Cr and Fe-Cr. The influence of wind direction on trace metal concentrations is also discussed.
Highlights
The country of Costa Rica is crossed by a mountain range system running from NW to SE
As a result of the lack of efficient urban planning, the expansion of the city during the last 20 years has produced a marked degradation of air quality, exposing the population to an annual average PM10 concentration of approximately 46 g m-3 and annual averages of nitrogen dioxide between 64 and 81 μgm-3 in the high traffic areas of the city [2]
The filters were cut into strips 2.54 cm wide by 23 cm long, and each one placed in a 150 ml beaker. 75 ml of deionized water (DW) was added and the samples were extracted in an ultrasound bath at 35°C for 60 min
Summary
The system includes many volcano cones with elevations up to 3600 m above sea level (asl), forming a central plateau known as the Area Metropolitan at 1100 m asl with an area of about 3000 km. The system includes many volcano cones with elevations up to 3600 m above sea level (asl), forming a central plateau known as the Area Metropolitan at 1100 m asl with an area of about 3000 km2 This region contains 75% percent of the motor vehicles (734,200), 85% of the industry and 60% of the population (2,580,000) of the country, according to the latest census [1]. The city has a maximum breadth of 14 km from northwest to southeast, and is the largest urban area in Costa Rica. The presence of lead in the gasoline was eliminated since 1998
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