Annual variations of the elemental concentrations of PM10 in ambient air of Nagoya City as determined by ICP-AES and ICP-MS.

PM10 samples were collected at an urban site of Nagoya City during September, 2003, to August, 2004, and annual variations of the concentrations of the elements in PM10 samples were examined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The annual concentration variations of ca. 30 elements in ambient air were in the range from sub-ng m(-3) to several microg m(-3). From an evaluation by the enrichment factors of the elements, elements such as Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Ti, Mn, Ba, Sr, Ce, La, Nd, Co, Cs, and Pr, in PM10 samples were found to have originated mostly from natural sources, while the elements such as S, Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Sb, Sn, Cd, Bi, W, Tl, and In originated from anthropogenic emission sources. Furthermore, in seasonal variations of the elemental concentrations of PM10 samples in ambient air, the elements originated mostly from natural sources provided significantly high concentrations in spring during the "Kosa" period (the dust season from March to May). On the other hand, the elements mainly from anthropogenic emission sources provided relatively higher concentrations in autumn and winter, which may be explained by the fact that the urban atmospheric structure is stabilized by the temperature-inversion layer formed over the city in those seasons. In addition, all of the elements provided significantly low concentrations in the summer, due to the dilution effect of the oceanic winds as well as due to the convection of air mass up to the high levels.

Chemical characterization of airborne particulate matter in ambient air of Nagoya, Japan, as studied by the multielement determination with ICP-AES and ICP-MS.

The multielement determination of PM(10) (airborne particulate matter smaller than 10 microm) samples, which was collected by a high volume air sampler at the urban site of Nagoya City, was carried out by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The present analytical method was validated by analyzing urban particulate matter standard reference material of NIST SRM 1648. The analytical data for ca. 30 elements in PM(10) samples collected during a period from 8 September to 9 October, 2003, were obtained in the concentration range from sub-microg g(-1) to several-10 mg g(-1), but the data for 18 elements among ca. 30 elements were available for the characterization of PM(10) samples in ambient air, because of problems caused by the filter blanks. Then, the trends concerning the distributions of diverse elements in PM(10) samples were analyzed based on the enrichment factors and size distribution factors. The lithophile and siderophile elements were distributed more than 50% in coarse particle fraction (>2.1 microm), which was derived mainly from natural sources, such as soils and crustal minerals. On the other hand, chalcophile elements were distributed more than 50% in fine particle fraction (<2.1 microm), which was derived mostly from anthropogenic emission sources. The large enrichment of chalcophile elements in PM(10) samples as well as their mining influence factors (MIFs) suggested their wide use in industrial productions.