Trace Metals Concentrations at the Atmosphere Particulate Matters in the Southeast Asian Mega City (Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Md Faridul Islam,Md Badiuzzaman Khan,Abdus Salam,Mohammad Arifur Rahman,Abdullah Al Mamun,Syada Sanjida Majumder

doi:10.4236/ojap.2015.42009

Md Faridul Islam, Md Badiuzzaman Khan + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.4236/ojap.2015.42009

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Abstract

Atmospheric particulate matters were collected on quartz fibre filters for 24 hours with a low volume sampler from January 2014 to March 2014 at the Southeast Asian mega city (Dhaka, Bang- ladesh). Particulate matters samples were analysed for eleven trace metals with inductively cou- pled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) at Ca Foscari University of Venice, Italy. Trace metals were extracted from filters with digestion method using a mixture of HNO3 and H2O2. The average concentration of the determined trace metals of As, Cd, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cr, Fe, Mn, Zn, Sband Se were 3.06, 6.28, 3.77, 11.98, 305.6, 9.2, 2057.0, 42.2, 303.3, 5.47 and 2.43 ng∙m −3 , respectively. Arsenic concentration is much lower in the atmosphere of Dhaka, though Bangladesh has severe arsenic problem in the ground water. Lead and cadmium concentrations showed decreasing trend in Dhaka compared than previous measurements—but still they have very high levels compared than Europe and USA. There is very limited information for Mn, Sb and Se concentrations in Dhaka air. Correlation studies showed that several trace metals had potential joint sources of origin, e.g., manganese is highly correlated with iron (r 2 = 0.97) and nickel (r 2 = 0.84), copper (r 2 = 0.86); lead with arsenic (r 2 = 0.79) and antimony (r 2 = 0.78). Enrichment factors analysis was also done with the data base for the respective metals in earth crust and coal fly ash. As and Cu both have com- bined sources, whereas Cd, Pb and Zn were from coal fly ash.Trace metals concentrations in Dhaka city air were much higher than Europe and USA but comparable or slightly lower than other south Asian countries. This is the first extensive study for the eleven trace metals with ICP-MS in Dhaka, * Corresponding author.

Highlights

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has significant impact on human health, climate change, visibility reduction, agriculture and atmospheric chemistry
Using single-component regression analysis, Gurgueira et al [15] described that the content of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn was strongly associated with the oxidative stress generated in the lung, whereas Fe, Al, Si, and Ti were associated with the effects observed in the heart
It is assumed that methylated arsenic is a minor component in the air of suburban, urban and industrial areas, and that the major inorganic portion is a variable mixture of the trivalent and pentavalent forms, the latter being predominant

Summary

Introduction

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has significant impact on human health, climate change, visibility reduction, agriculture and atmospheric chemistry. Aerosol particles may include a range of chemical species, ranging from metals to organic and inorganic compounds [1] [2]. Health impacts associated with particulate matters are linked to respiratory, cardiovascular problems, premature mortality, lung cancer, heart diseases and damage to other organs [8]-[11]. The attention has often been focused on transition metals such as iron, nickel, chromium, copper, and zinc, based on their ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological tissues [14]. The spatial and temporal variation in the risk of particulate matters is partially explained by chemical composition [16]

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