Metals in airborne particulate matter in rural Switzerland

Purghart, B.C. Gälli; Nyffeler, Urs P.; Schindler, P.; Borm, W.A. Van; Adams, Fred C.

doi:10.1016/0960-1686(90)90251-h

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The concentrations are of the same order of magnitude as those recently measured at other places in Switzerland, e.g. at an urban background site in Zurich (Minguillón et al, 2012;Richard et al, 2011, Table 2), but are generally lower than the measurements in older studies (Chiaradia and Cupelin, 2000;Gälli Purghart et al, 1990;Röösli et al, 2001, Table 2). The decreasing trends in PM and trace element concentrations have been documented in numerous NABEL reports on the air quality in Switzerland (e.g.…”

Section: Data Validity Derived From General Statistics and Mdlssupporting

confidence: 56%

Elemental composition of ambient aerosols measured with high temporal resolution using an online XRF spectrometer

Furger

Minguillón

Yadav³

et al. 2017

Atmos. Meas. Tech.

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Abstract. The Xact 625 Ambient Metals Monitor was tested during a 3-week field campaign at the rural, trafficinfluenced site Härkingen in Switzerland during the summer of 2015. The field campaign encompassed the Swiss National Day fireworks event, providing increased concentrations and unique chemical signatures compared to non-fireworks (or background) periods. The objective was to evaluate the data quality by intercomparison with other independent measurements and test its applicability for aerosol source quantification. The Xact was configured to measure 24 elements in PM 10 with 1 h time resolution. Data quality was evaluated for 10 24 h averages of Xact data by intercomparison with 24 h PM 10 filter data analysed with ICP-OES for major elements, ICP-MS for trace elements, and gold amalgamation atomic absorption spectrometry for Hg. Ten elements (S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ba, Pb) showed excellent correlation between the compared methods, with r 2 values ≥ 0.95. However, the slopes of the regressions between Xact 625 and ICP data varied from 0.97 to 1.8 (average 1.28) and thus indicated generally higher Xact elemental concentrations than ICP for these elements. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed, but further investigations are needed. For the remaining elements no conclusions could be drawn about their quantification for various reasons, mainly detection limit issues. An indirect intercomparison of hourly values was performed for the fireworks peak, which brought good agreement of total masses when the Xact data were corrected with the regressions from the 24 h value intercomparison. The results demonstrate that multi-metal characterization at hightime-resolution capability of Xact is a valuable and practical tool for ambient monitoring.

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Section: Data Validity Derived From General Statistics and Mdlssupporting

confidence: 56%

Elemental composition of ambient aerosols measured with high temporal resolution using an online XRF spectrometer

Furger

Minguillón

Yadav³

et al. 2017

Atmos. Meas. Tech.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…38,39 This could be explained by differences in emission sources (e.g., traffic density), population density, topography, or meteorological conditions. 32,40 Apart from the extremes between north and south, no clear geographic pattern could be seen. A remarkably large within-country variability was observed in Spain, with values between 10.8 and 30.2 g/m 3 .…”

Section: Pm 25 Mass Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…32,40 If there is a vertical stability of the atmosphere (inversion), no air dilution processes occur and air pollution accumulates. This typically happens during the cold season and would produce a high temporal variability of PM 2.5 mass concentrations.…”

Section: Pm 25 Mass Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

PM_2.5 Assessment in 21 European Study Centers of ECRHS II: Method and First Winter Results

Arx

Götschi

Oglesby

et al. 2003

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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The follow-up of a cohort of adults from 29 European centers of the former European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I (1989-1992) will examine the long-term effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on the incidence, course, and prognosis of respiratory diseases, in particular asthma and decline in lung function. The purpose of this article is to describe the methodology and the European-wide quality control program for the collection of particles with 50% cut-off size of 2.5 microm aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) in the ECRHS II and to present the PM2.5 results from the winter period 2000-2001. Because PM2.5 is not routinely monitored in Europe, we measured PM2.5 mass concentrations in 21 participating centers to estimate background exposure in these cities. A standardized protocol was developed using identical equipment in each center (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Well Impactor Ninety-Six [WINS] and PQ167 from BGI, Inc.). Filters were weighed in a single central laboratory. Sampling was conducted for 7 days per month for a year. Winter mean PM2.5 mass concentrations (November 2000-February 2001) varied substantially, with Iceland reporting the lowest value (5 microg/m3) and northern Italy the highest (69 microg/m3). A standardized procedure appropriate for PM2.5 exposure assessment in a multicenter study was developed. We expect ECRHS II to have sufficient variation in exposure to assess long-term effects of air pollution in this cohort. Any bias caused by variation in the characteristics of the chosen monitoring location (e.g., proximity to traffic sources) will be addressed in later analyses. Given the homogenous spatial distribution of PM2.5, however, concentrations measured near traffic are not expected to differ substantially from those measured at urban background sites.

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“…Studies in other European and American cities confirm that sulfates (SO 4 2-) and/or sulfur are in general the most homogeneous component. 26,40 The PTEAM study 9 has reported similar contrasts of high personal vs outdoor correlation for PM 10 -sulfur and lower correlations for crustal and traffic-related elements (Pb and Br). Other personal exposure studies have consistently observed high personal vs outdoor correlations for SO 4 2-.…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

Validity of Ambient Levels of Fine Particles as Surrogate for Personal Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution—Results of the European EXPOLIS-EAS Study (Swiss Center Basel)

Oglesby

Künzli

Röösli

et al. 2000

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

104

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To evaluate the validity of fixed-site fine particle levels as exposure surrogates in air pollution epidemiology, we considered four indicator groups: (1) PM 2.5 total mass concentrations, (2) sulfur and potassium for regional air pollution, (3) lead and bromine for traffic-related particles, and (4) calcium for crustal particles. Using data from the European EXPOLIS (Air Pollution Exposure Distribution within Adult Urban Populations in Europe) study, we assessed the associations between 48-hr personal exposures and home outdoor levels of the indicators. Furthermore, within-city variability of fine particle levels was evaluated.Personal exposures to PM 2.5 mass were not correlated to corresponding home outdoor levels (n = 44, r Spearman (Sp) = 0.07). In the group reporting neither relevant indoor sources nor relevant activities, personal exposures and home outdoor levels of sulfur were highly correlated (n = 40, r Sp = 0.85). In contrast, the associations were weaker IMPLICATIONS Accurate exposure assessment is a key step when investigating the effects of ambient air pollution and the related public health impact. In cross-sectional analysis, we could show that 48-hr personal exposure to PM 2.5 -sulfur, indicating regional air pollution, is highly correlated to corresponding outdoor PM 2.5 -sulfur levels. For indicators of traffic-related and crustal particles, the associations were weaker. We conclude that epidemiologic studies on long-term effects of air pollution may rely on fixed-site fine particle mass to estimate exposures to regional air pollution. For exposures to primary traffic particles, where spatial variability and proximity to the source are important factors, estimates may be improved with data on traffic exposures.for traffic (Pb: n = 44, r Sp = 0.53; Br: n = 44, r Sp = 0.21) and crustal (Ca: n = 44, r Sp = 0.12) indicators. This contrast is consistent with spatially homogeneous regional pollution and higher spatial variability of traffic and crustal indicators observed in Basel, Switzerland.We conclude that for regional air pollution, fixed-site fine particle levels are valid exposure surrogates. For sourcespecific exposures, however, fixed-site data are probably not the optimal measure. Still, in air pollution epidemiology, ambient PM 2.5 levels may be more appropriate exposure estimates than total personal PM 2.5 exposure, since the latter reflects a mixture of indoor and outdoor sources. INTRODUCTIONEpidemiologic studies conducted in a variety of regions and populations indicate consistent associations between ambient levels of air pollution and health outcomes. Respiratory symptoms, lung function, and mortality have been observed to be related to both short-term 1,2 and longterm exposures.2,3 Long-term effects of ambient air pollution are often investigated in semi-individual studies.

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Metals in airborne particulate matter in rural Switzerland

Cited by 19 publications

References 12 publications

Elemental composition of ambient aerosols measured with high temporal resolution using an online XRF spectrometer

Elemental composition of ambient aerosols measured with high temporal resolution using an online XRF spectrometer

PM_2.5 Assessment in 21 European Study Centers of ECRHS II: Method and First Winter Results

Validity of Ambient Levels of Fine Particles as Surrogate for Personal Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution—Results of the European EXPOLIS-EAS Study (Swiss Center Basel)

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Metals in airborne particulate matter in rural Switzerland

Cited by 19 publications

References 12 publications

Elemental composition of ambient aerosols measured with high temporal resolution using an online XRF spectrometer

Elemental composition of ambient aerosols measured with high temporal resolution using an online XRF spectrometer

PM2.5 Assessment in 21 European Study Centers of ECRHS II: Method and First Winter Results

Validity of Ambient Levels of Fine Particles as Surrogate for Personal Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution—Results of the European EXPOLIS-EAS Study (Swiss Center Basel)

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PM_2.5 Assessment in 21 European Study Centers of ECRHS II: Method and First Winter Results