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High enrichment of heavy metals in fine particulate matter through dust aerosol generation.

Authors :
Gao, Qianqian
Zhu, Shengqiang
Zhou, Kaili
Zhai, Jinghao
Chen, Shaodong
Wang, Qihuang
Wang, Shurong
Han, Jin
Lu, Xiaohui
Chen, Hong
Zhang, Liwu
Wang, Lin
Wang, Zimeng
Yang, Xin
Ying, Qi
Zhang, Hongliang
Chen, Jianmin
Wang, Xiaofei
Source :
Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics; 2023, Vol. 23 Issue 20, p13049-13060, 12p
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Dust is a major source of atmospheric aerosols. Its chemical composition is often assumed to be similar to the parent soil. However, this assumption has not been rigorously verified. Here, we generated dust aerosols from soils to determine if there is particle-size-dependent selectivity of heavy metals in the dust generation. Mn, Cd, Pb and other heavy metals were found to be highly enriched in fine-dust (PM 2.5) aerosols, which can be up to ∼ 6.5-fold. To calculate the contributions of dust to atmospheric heavy metals, regional air quality models usually use the dust chemical profiles from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) SPECIATE database, which does not capture the correct size-dependent selectivity of heavy metals in dust aerosols. Our air quality modeling for China demonstrates that the calculated contribution of fine-dust aerosols to atmospheric heavy metals, as well as their cancer risks, could have significant errors without using proper dust profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16807316
Volume :
23
Issue :
20
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
173394864
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13049-2023