Elemental quantification of atmospheric aerosols by SR-XRF in Córdoba City, Argentina

M.L LÓPEZ; S. CEPPI; GUSTAVO G. PALANCAR; LUIS E. OLCESE; G. TIRAO; BEATRIZ M. TOSELLI

Campinas

Congreso; XXI Reunión Anual de Usuarios del LNLS; 2011

In urban areas, one of the main pollutants of concern is PM10. Particles that fall into this diameter range have been implicated as contributing to the incidence and severity of respiratorydiseases. Size and chemical composition are two of the principal parameters that affect the way in which those particles correlate with population health. PM10 can penetrate deeply into human lungs. In addition, PM2.5 can contain a high proportion of various toxic metals, organic  compounds, etc.The toxicity of the particles is associated not only to higher particle mass, but also to variations in particle size, shape, and chemical composition. Furthermore, many trace chemicalspecies in particles occur in the very fine size fractions, which can reach alveolar regions in the lungs. The chemical elements derived from anthropogenic sources are usually present in the fine fraction while those derived from natural sources are usually present in the coarse fraction. Suspended road dust and soil dust are other potential source of elements. Anthropogenic elements are originated from different sources. Those emitted during the burning of fossil fuels are V, Co,Pb, Ni, and Cr and are mostly associated with particles in the PM2.5 fraction, although some particles are also present in the coarse fraction. Cr, Cu, Mn, and Zn are released into theatmosphere by metallurgical industries, and traffic pollution involves a wide range of trace element emissions that includes Fe, Ba, Pb, Cu and Zn, which may be associated with the fine and coarse particles. The goals of this work were to quantify the elements present in the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions of Córdoba, to correlate them with possible sources and to study seasonal variations on the particulate matter composition if they are present.