Particulate mercury in ambient air in Shanghai, China: Size-specific distribution, gas–particle partitioning, and association with carbonaceous composition

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDFs) are unintentionally formed during inefficient combustions and as a by-product. Due to their resistance to degradation and their toxic effect on health, PCDD/Fs are listed by the Stockholm Convention as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Once released into the atmosphere, most of them are adsorbed to air particles and transported away from sources in atmosphere. India signed the Stockholm Convention India agreeing thereby to reduce and eliminate the use of POPs. The German agency for Technical Cooperation helped develop facilities for monitoring POPs at a national level in Delhi. This paper presents the data generated during a training assignment for Central Pollution Control Board officials at the German laboratory. Air borne particulate matter (<PM10) was collected from 6 different locations in Delhi, India and analyzed in a German laboratory for 17 congeners of PCDD/Fs. The concentrations of ΣPCDD/Fs ranged between 1720-9010 fg m-3 (mean 5559 fg m-3) and their toxic equivalency values ranged from 67 to 460 fg I-toxic equivalent quantities (TEQ) m-3, with an average of 239 fg I-TEQ m-3 which was lower than the ambient air standards. The dominant congeners were octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD), octachlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (OCDF), 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorinated dibenzo- p-furans, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin. The contributions of individual homologs for ΣPCDDs/Fs I-TEQ was in the order of OCDD (31%)>HCDF (21%)>hexachlorodibenzofurans (13%)=OCDF (13%)> HCDF (12%) and other individual congeners contribute less than 5%. High chlorinated congeners contributed with more than 80% for ΣPCDD/Fs I-TEQ. Rough estimates of tolerable daily intake (TDI) shows low health risk of exposure to ΣPCDD/Fs with inhalation of 0.098 pg I-TEQ kg1day1 for adult and 0.152 pg TEQ kg-1day-1 for children, which is much lower than World Health Organization recommended TDI for dioxins.

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A Device for Sampling and Determination of Total Particulate Mercury in Ambient Air

Analytical Chemistry ◽

10.1021/ac971278l ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 70 (11) ◽

pp. 2403-2408 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Julia Y. Lu ◽

William H. Schroeder ◽

Torunn Berg ◽

John Munthe ◽

Dan Schneeberger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ambient Air ◽

Particulate Mercury

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Characterization of Ambient Air Particulates and Particulate Mercury at Sha-Lu, Central Taiwan

Environmental Forensics ◽

10.1080/15275920903347511 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 277-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Guor-Cheng Fang ◽

Niladri Basu ◽

Dong-Ha Nam ◽

I-Lin Yang

Keyword(s):

Ambient Air ◽

Particulate Mercury ◽

Central Taiwan

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Particulate mercury concentration and its behavior in urban ambient air.

NIPPON KAGAKU KAISHI ◽

10.1246/nikkashi.1985.709 ◽

1985 ◽

pp. 709-713 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ryozo NAKAGAWA

Keyword(s):

Mercury Concentration ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Particulate Mercury

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Development of a Rapid Survey Method of Sampling and Analysis for Asbestos in Ambient Air

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100096400 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 630-631 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. E. Heffelfinger ◽

C. W. Melton ◽

D. L. Kiefer ◽

W. M. Henry ◽

R. J. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Neutron Activation ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Survey Method ◽

Potential Hazard ◽

Transmission Microscopy ◽

Comparative Analyses ◽

Asbestos Fibers ◽

Controlled Conditions ◽

Unequivocal Identification ◽

Identification And Quantification

A methodology has been developed and demonstrated which is capable of determining total amounts of asbestos fibers and fibrils in air ranging from as low as fractional nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) of air to several micrograms/m3. The method involves the collection of samples on an absolute filter and provides an unequivocal identification and quantification of the total asbestos contents including fibrils in the collected samples.The developed method depends on the trituration under controlled conditions to reduce the fibers to fibrils, separation of the asbestos fibrils from other collected air particulates (beneficiation), and the use of transmission microscopy for identification and quantification. Its validity has been tested by comparative analyses by neutron activation techniques. It can supply the data needed to set emissions criteria and to serve as a basis for assessing the potential hazard for asbestos pollution to the populace.

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Application of Electron Optics to Characterization of Particulate Pollutants

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010009508x ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 364-365

Author(s):

J. B. Moran ◽

J. L. Miller

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Quality Standards ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Hazardous Substances ◽

Fuel Additives ◽

Ambient Air Quality ◽

Air Quality Standards ◽

Emission Standards ◽

Stationary Sources ◽

Ambient Air Quality Standards

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 provide the basis for a dramatic change in Federal air quality programs. The Act establishes new standards for motor vehicles and requires EPA to establish national ambient air quality standards, standards of performance for new stationary sources of pollution, and standards for stationary sources emitting hazardous substances. Further, it establishes procedures which allow states to set emission standards for existing sources in order to achieve national ambient air quality standards. The Act also permits the Administrator of EPA to register fuels and fuel additives and to regulate the use of motor vehicle fuels or fuel additives which pose a hazard to public health or welfare.National air quality standards for particulate matter have been established. Asbestos, mercury, and beryllium have been designated as hazardous air pollutants for which Federal emission standards have been proposed.

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Electron Microscopic Characterization and Quantitation of Air Borne Particulate Matter with Special Emphasis on Asbestos

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100095042 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 356-357

Author(s):

Peter K. Mueller ◽

Glenn R. Smith ◽

Leslie M Carpenter ◽

Ronald L. Stanley

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Light And Electron Microscopy ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Quality Standard ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Cellulose Ester ◽

Main Concept ◽

Electron Microscopic ◽

Air Samples ◽

Diffraction Patterns

At the present time the primary objective of the electron microscopy group of the Air and Industrial Hygiene Laboratory is the development of a method suitable for use in establishing an air quality standard for asbestos in ambient air and for use in its surveillance. The main concept and thrust of our approach for the development of this method is to obtain a true picture of fiber occurrence as a function of particle size and asbestos type utilizing light and electron microscopy.We have now available an electron micrographic atlas of all asbestos types including selected area diffraction patterns and examples of fibers isolated from air samples. Several alternative approaches for measuring asbestos in ambient air have been developed and/or evaluated. Our experiences in this regard will be described. The most promising method involves: 1) taking air samples on cellulose ester membrane filters with a nominal pore size of 0.8 micron; 2) ashing in a low temperature oxygen plasma for several hours;

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