Toxic metals in the atmosphere in Lahore, Pakistan

Alvi

et al. 2018

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

In the present study, analysis and source apportionment of the elemental composition of PM 10 was conducted in the urban atmosphere of Karachi. Trace elements such as Ni, Ba, Cd, Ca, Mg, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Sr and Ti were measured. The PM 10 concentration ranged from 255 μg m -3 to 793 μg m -3 , with an average of 438 ± 161 μg m -3 . Among the various elements analyzed, concentrations of Ca, Al and Fe were the highest (> 10000 ng m -3 ), followed by Mg and S (> 1000 ng m -3 ). Elements such as Zn, P, Cu, Pb, Mn, Ti, Sr and Ba demonstrated medium concentrations (> 100 ng m -3 ), whereas the lowest concentrations were found for elements such as Cr, Ni and Se (> 10 ng m -3 ). The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model identified five possible factors that contributed to PM 10 , namely, biomass burning, coal combustion, resuspended road/soil dust, vehicular emissions and industrial dust. Industrial dust was the highest contributor (23.2%) to PM 10 followed by Biomass burning (23%), Vehicular emissions (22.2%), Coal combustion (21.7%) and Re-suspended dust (9.9%). A strong positive correlation (R 2 = 0.98) was observed between the model predicted PM 10 mass and the gravimetrically measured mass collected on filters.

Section: Particulate Mattermentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Trace Elementsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Source Apportionment of PM10 at an Urban Site of a South Asian Mega City

Alvi

et al. 2018

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

“…Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mg, Mn, K, Na, Ti, and Zn [57] In total, 129 samples were collected from an urban site in Lahore (near two airports) with 6 h of sampling from November 2005 to January 2006 Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb [89] In total, 96 samples from an urban site and 79 samples from a rural site were collected from November 2002 to April 2003 with sampling duration of 12 h on day time basis Na, K, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cr, Zn, and Co [94] In total, 61 samples from an urban site and 44 samples from a rural site were collected from ) [50] but was much higher than for international cities such as Bangkok (60 ng m ). [34] Awan et al [43] analyzed Cd, Pb, and Zn from 48 TSP samples both quantitatively and qualitatively by FAAS and XRF, respectively.…”

Section: Sampling Detail Major Species Analyzed Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

Traffic ‐and Industry‐Related Air Pollution Exposure Assessment in an Asian Megacity

Alvi

Chishtie

et al. 2017

CLEAN Soil Air Water

Like other Asian countries, Pakistan is facing the issue of air pollution due to rapid urbanization, enormous transportation increases, and other related human activities. Moreover, continuously increasing emission sources have not only raised pollutant concentrations but also their types, thus damaging both human health and the environment. Faisalabad is the third largest megacity of Pakistan and its state of air quality is getting worse due to factors such as industrialization, high traffic volumes, and extensive fossilfuel-burning activities. This review article aims to highlight the present status of air pollution in this city with special reference to particulate matter, elemental profiles, gaseous pollutants, organic-inorganic particulate contents as well as their sources. The concentration levels of these entities were also compared with other national and international cities, and related environmental standards. It is found that current levels of these pollutants are beyond safety limits as specified by various environment protection agencies and organizations. Several weak aspects and gaps are also identified along with suggestions for improvements of the present situation and directions for future research.

“…The significant potential trace metals emission point sources in this region include a coal-fired power plant (CFPP), four municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs), a smelting manufacture, and several heavy-density industrial regions. Besides for these point emission sources, trace metals concentrations could be originated from mobile sources (von Schneidemesser et al, 2010), especially in central Taiwan where heavy traffic occurs frequently. Details of these sampling sites have been elaborated by and Zhang et al (2012).…”

Section: Sampling Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ambient Trace Metals Sources in Taichung, Taiwan: Principal Component Analysis

Huang

Chen

Liu

et al. 2013

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

There were eight trace metals, including As, Hg, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Pb, measured in the total suspended particles collected in central Taiwan using PS-1 samplers at five different sites. Overall, these trace metal concentrations were lower in summer than other seasons, and higher in industrial areas than in wetland. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was utilized to identify the pollutant sources for each site. Three distinct sources were found in this study, and the results suggest that mobile sources were the main factor contributing to Mn, Fe, Zn, and Cr emissions, which were mainly from urban areas and in the vicinity of highways intersections. Within addition, municipal solid waste incinerators are significantly associated with emissions of As, Hg, Cu, and Pb. Finally, smelters were associated with high Hg, As, Fe, and Zn emissions from local industrial areas. However, contributions from two known point sources, a coal-fired power plant and a steeling plant could not be distinguished from the PCA results. This may be due to the prevailing wind directions and limitations of the measurements used in this work. These two sources are located to the west of these sampling sites, while the prevailing wind direction in this area was southwest.