Title: Characteristic study of particulates and metallic elements at an urban sampling site in Taichung, central Taiwan

Authors: Guor-Cheng Fang, Cheng-Nan Chang, Yuh-Shen Wu, Peter Pi-Cheng Fu, Shyh-Chyi Chang, I-Lin Yang, Chang-Ju Yang

Addresses: Air Toxic and Environmental Analysis Laboratory, Hungkuang Institute, of Technology, Sha-Lu, Taichung 433, Taiwan. Department of Environmental Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan. Air Toxic and Environmental Analysis Laboratory, Hungkuang Institute of Technology, Sha-Lu, Taichung 433, Taiwan. Division of Biochemical Toxicology National Center for Toxicological, Research Jefferson, Arkansas 72079, USA. Department of Environmental Science, Tunghai University Taichung 407, Taiwan. Department of Environmental Science, Tunghai University Taichung 407, Taiwan. Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Hungkuang, Institute of Technology, Sha-Lu, Taichung 433, Taiwan

Abstract: Atmospheric total suspended particulate concentrations and metallic element concentrations were measured at three locations, characteristic of urban, suburban and rural sites. The sampling period was from July 2000 to August 2000. The results indicated that the urban sampling site had the highest total suspended particulate concentrations (average 108.61µ1m³), followed by the suburban site (average 60.11µ1m³) and the rural site (average 53.31µ1m³). The average PM_2.5 concentrations (24.11µ1m³) were higher than the PM_2.5-10 concentrations (12.81µ1m³) at the urban site. The average distributed ratios for PM_2.5/PM_2.5-10 were about 1.29, 1.53, 0.12, 1.12 and 2.31 for Pb, Zn, Fe, Ni and Cr, respectively. The average total suspended particulate mass ratios for daytime and nighttime were about 1.72. As for the elements Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ni and Cr, these ratios were about 0.63, 0.97, 0.54, 1.66, 0.53 and 1.12, respectively. The total suspended particulate daytime concentrations of Pb and Zn were positively correlated (R = 0.925) at the urban sampling site. The elements Ni and Cr were positively correlated both during the daytime (R = 0.648) and the nighttime (R = 0.511), revealing that they came from the same emission source during daytime and nighttime, at the urban sampling site.

Keywords: metallic elements; PM_2.5, total suspended particulates.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2002.000695

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2002 Vol.18 No.1, pp.64-75

Published online: 14 Jul 2003 *

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