Abstract
Mass and elemental concentrations in PM10 and PM2.5 — airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter below 10 μm and 2.5 μm, respectively — have been evaluated in mainland Portugal since 1993. The data herein refer to areas generally impacted by emissions from electrical power plants, either coal- or oil-fired, which are mostly large, state-of-the-art facilities. Background areas have been sampled as well, and results from one of them are given for comparison. Through the country, lead levels are well below the European enacted values, particularly since unleaded fuels became mandatory in the late 1990s. Nickel appears especially concentrated in PM2.5 and, apart from extreme cases (rural sites, coal-fired plants), its levels are not significantly different from place to place. Highest values for arsenic and mercury have been found in the vicinity of the coal-fired plants. Cadmium data, if only available for metropolitan Lisbon, seems to confirm the trend for anthropogenic elements appearing mainly in fine particulates.
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