Analysis of trace elements in air particulate matters by non-suppressed ion chromatography

The application of non-suppressed ion chromatography for monitoring of trace elements in air particulate matter was studied in the present investigation. The results indicate that the use of microwave acid digestion method is superior in comparison with the conventional thermal acid digestion method as it leads to higher recovery, better reproducibility, lower volatility loss, better protection against environmental contamination and much less digestion time (5 minutes vs. 24 hours). The use of eluent as extractant is shown to reduce the water dip problem in the chro-matogram. The addition of chelating agent in the eluent coupled with UV detection is shown to provide satisfactory chromatographic separation and good sensitivity for the analysis of transition metals present in the air particulate matter. Using the U.S. National Bureau of Standards Reference Material 1648 Urban Particulate Matter as standard for checking, the analytical procedure is shown to give good recovery and reproducibility for the detection of the following cations and anions in air particulate matter: Fe2 Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn, Mg, Na, HN4+, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-. Field test was also performed to check the applicability of the method and the results obtained were discussed in the present paper.

Determination of arsenic in air particulates and diesel exhaust particulates by spectrophotometry

A method was developed for the determination of trace arsenic by spectrophotometry. The proposed method is rapid, simple, and inexpensive. This method can be used for sensitive determination of trace arsenic in environmental samples and especially in air particulates. The results obtained by this method as a proposed method were compared with those obtained by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry as a popular reported method for the determination of arsenic and an excellent agreement was found between them. The method was also used for determination of arsenic associated with airborne particulate matter and diesel exhaust particulates. The results showed that considerable amount of arsenic are associated with diesel engine particulates. The variation in concentration of arsenic was also investigated. The atmospheric concentration of arsenic was different in different sampling stations was dependent to the traffic density.

Spatial and temporal variation of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in 26 cities in China

O3 and PM2.5 were introduced into the newly revised air quality standard system in February 2012, representing a milestone in the history of air pollution control, and China＇s urban air quality will be evaluated using six factors （SO2, NO2, O3, CO, PM2.5 and PM10） from the beginning of 2013. To achieve the new air quality standard, it is extremely important to have a primary understanding of the current pollution status in various cities. The spatial and temporal variations of the air pollutants were investigated in 26 pilot cities in China from August 2011 to February 2012, just before the new standard was executed. Hourly averaged SO2, NO2 and PMlo were observed in 26 cities, and the pollutants O3, CO and PM2.5 were measured in 15 of the 26 cities. The concentrations of SO2 and CO were much higher in the cities in north China than those in the south. As for O3 and NO2, however, there was no significant difference between northern and southern cities. Fine particles were found to account for a large proportion of airborne particles, with the ratio of PM2.5 to PMI0 ranging from 55% to 77%. The concentrations of PM2.5 （57.5 μg/m3） and PMlo （91.2 μg/m3） were much higher than the values （PM2.5：11.2μg/m3; PMI0：35.6 μg/m3） recommended by the World Health Organization. The attainment of the new urban air quality standard in the investigated cities is decreased by 20% in comparison with the older standard without considering O3, CO and PM2.5, suggesting a great challenge in urban air quality improvement, and more efforts will to be taken to control air pollution in China.

Impact of meteorological conditions on a nine-day particulate matter pollution event observed in December 2013,Shanghai,China

A severe particulate matter pollution event occurred in Shanghai from 1 to 9 December 2013. The mean hourly mass concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 211.9 and 249.0 μg/m3, respectively. Reanalysis data, in situ, and remote-sensing measurements were used to examine the impacts of meteorological conditions on this event. It was found that the synoptic pattern of weak pressure, the reduced planetary boundary layer height, and the passage of two cold fronts were key factors causing the event. Four stages were identified during this event based on the evolution of its PM2.5 levels and weather conditions. The highest concentration of PM2.5 （602 μg/m3） was observed in stage 3. High PM2.5 concentrations were closely associated with a low local ventilation index, with an average of 505 m2/s, as well as with the influx of pollutants from upstream, transported by the cold fronts.

Large inter annual variation in air quality during the annual festival ‘Diwali' in an Indian megacity

A network of air quality and weather monitoring stations was established under the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research（SAFAR） project in Delhi. We report observations of ozone（O_3）, nitrogen oxides（NO_x）, carbon monoxide（CO） and particulate matter（PM_2.5and PM_（10）） before, during and after the Diwali in two consecutive years, i.e., November 2010 and October 2011. The Diwali days are characterised by large firework displays throughout India. The observations show that the background concentrations of particulate matter are between 5 and 10 times the permissible limits in Europe and the United States. During the Diwali-2010, the highest observed PM_（10） and PM_2.5mass concentration is as high as2070 μg/m^3 and 1620 μg/m3, respectively（24 hr mean）, which was about 20 and 27 times to National Ambient Air Quality Standards（NAAQS）. For Diwali-2011, the increase in PM_（10） and PM_2.5mass concentrations was much less with their peaks of 600 and of 390 μg/m^3 respectively, as compared to the background concentrations. Contrary to previous reports,firework display was not found to strongly influence the NO_x, and O_3 mixing ratios, with the increase within the observed variability in the background. CO mixing ratios showed an increase. We show that the large difference in 2010 and 2011 pollutant concentrations is controlled by weather parameters.

Chemical characterization of fine and ultrafine PM, direct and indirect genotoxicity of PM and their organic extracts on pulmonary cells

Particulate matter in ambient air constitutes a complex mixture of fine and ultrafine particles composed of various chemical compounds including metals, ions, and organics. A multidisciplinary approach was developed by studying physico-chemical characteristics and mechanisms involved in the toxicity of particulate atmospheric pollution. PM0.3-2.s and PM2.5 including ultrafine particles were sampled in Dunkerque, a French industrialized seaside city. PM samples were characterized from a chemical and toxicological point of view. Physico-chemical characterization evidenced that PM2.5 comes from several sources： natural ones, such as soil resuspension and marine sea-salt emissions, as well as anthropogenic ones, such as shipping traffic, road traffic, and industrial activities. Human BEAS-2B tung cells were exposed to PM0.3-2.5, or to the Extractable Organic Matter （EOM） of PM0.3-2.5 and PM2.s. These exposures induced several mechanisms of action implied in the genotoxicity, such as oxidative DNA adducts and DNA Damage Response. The toxicity of PM-EOM was higher for the sample including the ultrafine fraction （PM2.5） containing also higher concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These results evidenced the major role of organic compounds in the toxicity of PM.

Online monitoring of water-soluble ionic composition of PM_(10)during early summer over Lanzhou City

Lanzhou is one of the most aerosol-polluted cities in China. In this study, an online analyzer for Monitoring for AeRosols and GAses was deployed to measure major water-soluble inorganic ions in PM10 at 1-hour time resolution, and 923 samples were obtained from Apr 1 to May 24, 2011. During the field campaign, air pollution days were encountered with Air Quality Index more than 100 and daily average concentration of PM10 exceeding 150 itg/m3. Based on the variation of water-soluble ions and results of Positive Matrix Factorization 3.0 model execution, the air pollution days were classified as crustal species- or secondary aerosol-induced, and the different formation mechanisms of these two air pollution types were studied. During the crustal species pollution days, the content of Ca2＋ increased and was about 2.3 times higher than the average on clear days, and the air parcel back trajectory was used to analyze the sources of crustal species. Data on sulfate, trace gases and meteorological factors were used to reveal the formation mechanism of secondary aerosol pollution. The sulfur oxidation ratio （SOR） was derived from the 923 samples, and the SOR had high positive correlation with relative humidity in early summer in Lanzhou.