The Role of Resuspended Soil in Lead Flows in the California South Coast Air Basin

Abstract

The inputs and outputs of airborne lead in the South Coast Air Basin of California (SOCAB) are quantified according to standard mass balance calculations. Results for 2001 show that approximately 49,000 kg of lead exitthe Basin each year, but traditional sources contribute only about 6500 kg of lead each year. We resolve this discrepancy through a simple computer model that quantifies the resuspension of lead-containing particles. Our results suggest that these lead particles were deposited during the years of leaded gasoline use and that resuspension is responsible for generating an additional 54,000 kg of airborne lead each year. This agrees roughly with estimated outputs. Thus, we conclude that resuspension, although an insignificant source of airborne lead during the era of leaded fuel, became a principal source in the SOCAB as lead emissions from vehicles declined. The results of the resuspension model further suggest that soil lead levels will remain elevated for many decades, in which case resuspension will remain a major source well into the future.

Multi-element Analysis and Characterization of Atmospheric Particulate Pollution in Dhaka

“…The slope of the least squares fit for zinc to Cl, together with standard error of fit, were used as a fingerprint for this source (Table 11). Bangladesh from 1999, Pb may come from fugitive sources, for examples paint and pigment, Pb acid battery (Begum et al, 2005b), or the resuspended soil dust (Harris et al, 2005). Since Pb does not have any strong association with other elements, it is not possible to create a multi-elemental fingerprint for this source.…”

Pyrogenic Remobilization of Historic Industrial Lead Depositions

“…6,7,43 Temporal variations of the isotopic composition of leaded gasoline in California correspond with temporal differences in ores used to manufacture alkyl-lead in the U.S. during that period. In the 1960s, the ores were obtained primarily from Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Peru, which had 44 It is, therefore, assumed that the isotopic composition of those aerosols reflects a mixture of contemporary and previous industrial lead emissions that have been resuspended, as observed in Los Angeles 8 and the San Francisco Bay area. 47 showed a significant correlation (r = 0.76, p < 0.001, n = 34) between wildfire frequency and regional spring and summer temperatures in the Western U.S.…”

Lead isotopic compositions of ash sourced from Australian bushfires

“…Although industrial lead exposures have declined over the past three decades with the elimination of leaded petrol, as they have elsewhere (Annest et al, 1983), the environmental legacy from those emissions remain a source of potential exposure (Harris and Davidson, 2005;Laidlaw et al, 2012). Moreover, recent studies have determined that relatively low blood lead levels that were previously considered innocuous have been associated with adverse human health problems (ACCLPP, 2012;Lanphear et al, 2005).…”