Results of TSP metals monitoring at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Abstract

This report presents the results of ambient air monitoring of metals in total suspended particulate (TSP) matter performed during the 1992--1993 austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Seven samples of TSP were collected from three different locations and analyzed for arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, and mercury. Critical-flow high-volume air samplers with a sample flow rate of approximately 1.1 m{sup 3}/minute were used to collect the particulate matter on quartz fiber filters for subsequent laboratory analysis. Sampling site selection, sampling procedures, and quality assurance procedures used were consistent with US Environmental Protection Agency guidance for local ambient air quality networks. The data indicate that McMurdo operations have a measurable impact on the qualitative toxic metals composition of suspended particulate matter in the ambient air; however a definitive quantitative impact could not be concluded. The levels measured are well below the US National Ambient Air Quality Standards and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists worker exposure levels. Lead was the most prevalent of the seven toxic metals and was detected in all samples at concentrations ranging from 1.4 ng/m{sup 3} to 38 ng/m{sup 3}. Data on the concentration of eleven other metal species are presented. Most notable was the relatively high abundance of titanium and copper, which were detectable at levels up to 2,100 ng/m{sup 3} and 230 ng/m{sup 3}, respectively.