Abstract
The petroleum industry has difficulties to assess the trace metal content in liquid fuels. In this work, it is proposed to solve this problem determining these metals by collecting particulate matter atmospheric samples and analysing their metal content. Samples of total particulate matter and of inhalable particles (PM10) were collected in a bus station in the period August 2006-February 2007. The only significant emission source in that location are the buses, fueled by diesel, since light duty vehicles account for about 1-2% of the total vehicular flux and no other activities are developed in the area. Metal levels were determined by ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy). Ca, Mg, Fe and Al were the most abundant compounds, and account for about 50.1%, 24.2%, 6.5% and 18.7%, respectively, of the metal contain. Co, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pb were under their detection limits, except for a few samples. Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu were determined in higher ratios that those currently find in crustal materials indicating that these elements may have important combustion sources and are enriched in the soil.
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