Abstract
This study investigated seasonal variations in mass concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and compositions of heavy metals in PM2.5 and PM10 collected from a typical urban residential area in Ulsan, Korea. PM measurements were conducted during spring and summer of 2009. Mean concentrations of PM2.5 in spring and summer were 23.2 and 18.1 µg/m 3 , respectively. Mean concentrations of PM10 in spring and summer were 45.9 and 33.2 µg/m 3 , respectively. The lower summer PM concentrations as compared to the spring ones are due to the increased rainfall precipitation. Airborne PM was analyzed for these heavy metals: Fe, Zn, Cd, Mn, Pb, Cu, Cr and Ni. All of the metals in PM2.5 and PM10 had higher concentrations in spring than in summer, except Cr in PM10 which shows similar concentrations between spring and summer. Seasonal differences in the metal concentrations may be due to differences in wind directions with some winds passing through industry or traffic areas. Analysis of enrichment factors of heavy metals showed highly enriched Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu. Principal component analysis for the heavy metals in PM2.5 and PM10 identified industrial emissions and road dust (soil and traffic) as major sources at the sampling site.
Highlights
The association of particulate matter (PM) with adverse health effects has been recognized for a long time
This study investigated seasonal variations in mass concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and compositions of heavy metals in PM2.5 and PM10 collected from a typical urban residential area in Ulsan, Korea
Increased energy uses and dry atmospheric conditions in the spring time contributed to increasing PM concentrations in spring period, while increased rainfall precipitation in summer time greatly contributed to decreasing PM levels in the summer period
Summary
The association of particulate matter (PM) with adverse health effects has been recognized for a long time. Concentration, composition and toxicity of PM are important factors which can greatly affect the possible human health problems associated with exposure to airborne PM. Ambient concentrations of total suspended particulates (TSP) and PM10 have been investigated (Samara et al, 2003; Quiterio et al, 2004; Shah et al, 2006b; Pérez et al, 2008), but recently, research of PM has focused on fine particles such as PM1.0 and PM2.5 because of strong correlations of PM to adverse health effects (Begum et al, 2010). PM4.0 is known to “finer size fraction that could penetrate the conductive airways of the tracheobronchial
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