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Elemental composition and source characterization of airborne PM10 at residences with relative proximities to metal-industrial complex

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Abstract

Objectives: Exposure estimates based solely on proximity to air pollution sources are not robust and require confirmation. Consequently, the present study was designed to scientifically evaluate the atmospheric particulate pollution in residences relative to their proximity to a Korean major metal-industrial complex (MIC). Methods: This purpose was achieved by concurrently measuring the concentrations and elemental composition of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters equal to or less than 10 μm (PM10) and characterizing the PM10 source types in industrial ambient air from MIC and residential ambient air with relative proximities to MIC. Trace metals were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The elemental composition data were employed to calculate enrichment factors and statistically analyzed using a principal component analysis (PCA) to characterize the PM10 source types. The source contributions were quantitatively analyzed using an absolute PCA (APCA). Results: The most enriched elements for which a significant anthropogenic origin can be suggested were Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb, Tl, and Zn. For PCA, four or five factors with eigenvalues greater than unity were obtained for each sampling site, and those having high loadings with the same variables represented similar source types. The APCA result yielded significant regression coefficients, explaining 74–85% of the variability in the PM10, which depends on the sampling site. The industrial mean values exceeded the Korean year/70 μg/m3 standard for PM10, whereas the residential mean values did not. However, the maximum residential values did exceed or were close to the Korean PM10 year standard. For individual elements, the ambient concentrations ranged widely from values in the order of a few ng/m3 to thousands of ng/m3. The residential mean mass concentrations in the PM10 measured in the present study were higher than or similar to those reported in earlier studies. Conclusions: The present study confirmed that residents in neighborhoods near the MIC are exposed to elevated particulate and metal levels compared to residents living further away from such a source, thereby supporting that proximity to air pollution sources can be employed to indicate environmental exposure.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank three graduate students (K.D. Kwon, J.H. Kang, and J.Y. Lee) from the Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, for their sample collecting and/or analyses. We would also like to thank the reviewers for their thoughtful corrections and valuable suggestions on our manuscript. This work was partially supported by a grant from the Kyungpook National University (2003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, 702-701, Daegu, Korea

    Mo-Keun Kim & Wan-Kuen Jo

  2. National Environment and Health Research Institute of Kyungpook Province, 702-702, Daegu, Korea

    Mo-Keun Kim

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  1. Mo-Keun Kim
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  2. Wan-Kuen Jo
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Correspondence to Wan-Kuen Jo.

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Kim, MK., Jo, WK. Elemental composition and source characterization of airborne PM10 at residences with relative proximities to metal-industrial complex. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 80, 40–50 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-006-0102-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-006-0102-y

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