Clarification of the predominant emission sources of antimony in airborne particulate matter and estimation of their effects on the atmosphere in Japan

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Iijima ◽  
Keiichi Sato ◽  
Yuji Fujitani ◽  
Eiji Fujimori ◽  
Yoshinori Saito ◽  
...  

Environmental context. The remarkable enrichment of potentially toxic antimony (Sb) in inhalable airborne particulate matter has become of great environmental concern among recent air pollution issues. The present study clarifies the predominant sources of Sb by focusing on the similarities in elemental composition, particle size distributions, and microscopic images found in ambient airborne particles and several potential sources. We identify automotive brake abrasion dust and fly ash emitted from waste incineration as dominant sources of atmospheric Sb in Japan. These results will contribute towards an in-depth understanding of the cycles and fates of Sb in the environment. Abstract. By focusing on the similarities in elemental composition, particle size distributions of elemental concentrations, and microscopic images between ambient airborne particulate matter (APM) and several potential sources, we discuss the predominant sources of antimony (Sb) in APM in Japan. The distribution of Sb concentration in size-classified ambient APM showed a characteristic bimodal profile in which peaks were found in coarse (3.6–5.2 μm) and fine (0.5–0.7 μm) fractions. Elemental ratios, particle sizes, and microscopic images observed in the coarse APM fractions were found to be in good agreement with those of brake abrasion dust. However, in the fine APM fractions, fly ash originating from waste incineration was identified as the most probable source of Sb. Chemical mass balance analysis was performed to determine the effects of the emission sources of Sb, and it was revealed that brake abrasion dust and waste fly ash were the dominant sources of Sb in the coarser and the finer fractions of APM, respectively. The present study provides important clues to understanding the cycles and fates of Sb in the environment.

Science ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 207 (4427) ◽  
pp. 186-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lee ◽  
D. Later ◽  
D. Rollins ◽  
D. Eatough ◽  
L. Hansen

1999 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Haller ◽  
C. Claiborn ◽  
T. Larson ◽  
J. Koenig ◽  
G. Norris ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 04010
Author(s):  
Bettina Eck-Varanka ◽  
Katalin Hubai ◽  
Eszter Horváth ◽  
Nora Kováts ◽  
Gábor Teke ◽  
...  

Particulate matter (PM) is grouped as coarse, fine, and ultrafine particles (UFPs) with aerodynamic diameters of 2.5 to 10 μm (PM10), <2.5 μm (PM2.5), and <0.1 μm (PM0.1), respectively. The course and fine fractions have been well characterised from numerous aspects, including potential environmental hazard. However, more and more studies are targeted to the UFP fraction, as they bind relatively higher concentrations of potentially toxic materials and they might penetrate through cell biological barriers, posing higher risk to the biota. In our study, ecotoxic potential of size-fractionated urban aerosol was evaluated, using the kinetic version of the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition bioassay. The kinetic protocol makes it possible to avoid false ecotoxicity readings which might appear in case of coloured and/or turbid samples. Our results showed that all PM fractions elucidated significant toxic response, highest toxicity was experienced in the range of 0.25/0.5μm and 0.5/1 μm (with the EC50s of 7.07 and 7.8%). Ecotoxicity in general followed the typical pattern of number size distributions of submicron particles experienced in Europe.


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