Man's impact on atmospheric lead concentrations — pollution sources and baseline levels in western europe

Abstract

A number of experiments have been performed to evaluate the concentrations of airborne particulate Pb, and their major sources in Belgium. Aerosol samples along a city street on a traffic-free period and on days with intense traffic evidence the strong influence of automotive exhaust gases. The influence of non-ferrous metallurgical industries is assessed by sampling simultaneously at 14 stations in the vicinity of a plant and by studying the concentrations on different days at one location as a function of the prevailing wind-direction. Depending on meteorological conditions and owing to the multiplicity of non-ferrous metallurgical plants in Belgium the industrial emissions are felt all over the country. A Pb concentration of 0.23 µg m⁻³ can be considered as the Belgian background. The mean concentrations detected at real background locations such as the Jungfraujoch, Switzerland (3600 m height) and at Lakselv, Norway (70° lat.) are nearly two orders of magnitude lower, namely 0.0087 and 0.0056 µg m⁻³. It is shown that the Pb concentration is a much more sensitive indicator for atmospheric pollution than the total suspended particulates.