A Contributing Factor and Characteristics of High 210Po Activity in Aerosols at Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

Air pollution in crowded cities has become an urgent issue in recent years. The high toxic 210Po activity and trace heavy elements’ content in 24 aerosol samples in Hanoi, Vietnam were determined at roadside and residential areas. 210Po activity in the studied aerosol samples was observed with a wide range (from 92.2 to 3500 µBq.m− 3 and 1395 µBq.m− 3 on average) and relatively high activities in roadside samples in comparison with the worldwide reference value. The results showed the predominance of the earth's crustal and fuel-combusting elements relating to traffic activities, the lower elements concentration origin from other combusting sources, the large Ni excess, the strong relationship between 210Po and Ni, the high ratio of Ni/Pb and the far greater 210Po activities in the roadside in comparison with residential aerosol samples at the study area. A suggestion, the main primary sources and a factor contributing to high 210Po activity in Hanoi aerosol samples are human activity relating to fuel combustion, high traffic density, and local sources.