Traffic-generated changes in the elemental profile of urban coarse dust at a highway and crossroads

Abstract

Based on literature data, the percentage contribution of road traffic to concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and PM-bound elements, separately for PM2.5-10 and PM10-100 fractions were assessed. The data on the PM2.5-10 and PM10-100 concentrations examined simultaneously at two locations (the 1st outside the direct impact of the road emission; the 2nd next to a crossroads or highway) were used in the analysis. There were clear differences in the concentrations of PM and its components between these locations (a crossroads vs. background; highway vs. background). Both PM concentrations and concentrations of the majority of the PM2.5-10- and PM10-100-bound elements had higher values in the traffic site. The percentage increase of PM concentrations was in the range from 25 (PM2.5-10; highway) to 606% (PM10-100; crossroads). The highest percentage increase in the concentration of elements was noted at the crossroads, where concentrations of PM10-100-bound Si, Sc, Fe and Pb were 12, 22, 25 and 71 times higher than at the urban background site, respectively. The measurable results of this paper are elemental profiles of two coarse fractions of PM in the vicinity of the road and crossroads and at sites far apart from the big road traffic sources. The collected information can be an important source of knowledge in identifying the origin of PM in the receptor.