Search

The levels of total suspended particles and airborne particulate trace metals were determined in three locations. Two of these locations are in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, where the main source of pollution is vehicular traffic. The remaining location is in a suburban area characterized by industrial and vehicular emissions, as well as natural input. Enrichment factors found in the downtown area for Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd were in the interval 21-3237, indicating an important contribution of anthropogenic sources. In the suburban area, Zn levels were unusually high (596.8–5475.4 ng m−3) and may be attributed to the proximity of a company that produces lubricants and lubricant additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study which discusses various issues related to metals in airborne particulate matter in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Anthropogenic emissions are the main source of toxic trace metals in urban areas where several sources, as vehicle exhausts and energy production, release large quantities of pollutants into the atmosphere. The main pollution problem in this city are the high levels of particulate matter, which in several areas exceed the guidelines of World Health Organization, and the Brazilian air quality standards. Since the emissions and levels of trace metals and particulate matter are strongly related, the heavy metal concentrations have been determined in the study in order to characterize the air quality of the region.

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Campus (FIOCRUZ), in a suburban region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, was selected as a case study to assess the pollution released from vehicle and industrial facilities in Basin III, the most polluted area of the city. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM10) and trace metals in airborne particles were determined in an intensive field campaign. The samplings were performed every six days for 24 h periods, using a PM10 high volume sampler, from September 2004 to August 2005. PM10 mass concentrations were determined gravimetrically and the metals by ICP-OES. For PM10, the arithmetic mean for the period is 169 +/- 42 microg m(-3) which is 3.4 times the national recommended standard of 50 microg m(-3). Additionally, 51% of the samplings exceeded the recommended 24 h limit of 150 microg m(-3). Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Al were the metals that presented the higher concentrations. The correlation matrix gave two main clusters and three significant principal components (PC). Both PC1 and PC2 are associated to crustal, vehicular and industrial emissions while PC3 is mainly associated to geological material. Enrichment factors for Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb indicate that for these elements, anthropic sources prevail over natural inputs. PM10 levels showed a good correlation with hospital admissions for respiratory diseases in children and elderly people.

Total suspended particles and 12 airborne metals were determined in 4 sampling sites in the industrial region of Médio Paraíba, Brazil. The geometrical means for the four sampling locals were (in units of microg/m3): 65.9 in Barra Mansa, 57.3 in Jardim Paraíba (Volta Redonda), 41.7 in Resende, and 48.9 in Volta Grande (Volta Redonda). These values are lower than levels previously determined in urban and industrial locals of the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro. For metals, the higher concentrations were obtained for Ca, Zn, Al, Fe, and Mg. Ca, Zn, and Al levels are higher than those determined in other industrial areas. These three metals are used in steel manufacturing, the main economical activity of the region. Enrichment factors for Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb are higher than 10, suggesting an industrial input. Statistical analysis show a high correlation among Ca, Mg, Zn, Cr, Al, Mn, and Fe, all of them used as raw materials in steel manufacturing and/or accumulated as industrial blast furnace slag and steelworks slag.