Atmospheric particulate matter

FIGURE 18.17 Block diagram of an automated system for the determination of sulfur dioxide by the para-rosaniline method. 

FIGURE 18.18 Hi-Vol sampler for the collection of particulate matter from the atmosphere for analysis. 

---

The methods just noted tell something about the physical characteristics of atmospheric particulate matter but nothing about its chemical composition. One can seek this kind of information for either individual particles or all particles en masse. Analysis of particles en masse involves analysis of a mixture of particles of many different compounds. How much of... 

Yamanchi T, T Handa (1987) Characterization of aza heterocyclic hydrocarbons in urban atmospheric particulate matter. Environ Sci Technol 21 1177-1181. 

Muel, B., Saguem, S. (1985) Determination of 23 polycyclic hydrocarbons in atmospheric particulate matter of the Paris area and photolysis by sunlight. Int l. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. 19, 111-131. 

Cooper, P. L. and Abbatt, J. P. D. Heterogeneous interactions of OH and HO2 radicals with surfaces characteristic of atmospheric particulate matter, J. Phys. Chem., 100,2249-2254,1996. 

Grosjean, D. Solvent extraction and organic carbon determination in atmospheric particulate matter The organic extraction-organic carbon analyzer (OE-OCA) technique. Anal. Chem. 47 797-805, 1975. 

Riggin RM, Howard CC, Scott DR, et al. 1983. Determination of benzidine related congeners and pigments in atmospheric particulate matter. J Chromatogr 21 321-325. 

Simoneit BRT, Elias VO, Organic tracers from biomass burning in atmospheric particulate matter over the Ocean, Mar Ghem 69 301-312, 2000. 

Simoneit BRT, Elias VO, Kobayashi M, Kawamura K, Rushdi AI, Medeiros PM, Rogge WE Didyk BM, Sugars — dominant water-soluble organic compounds in soils and characterization as tracers in atmospheric particulate matter. Environ Sci Technol 38 5939-5949, 2004. 

We now consider the abstract presented in excerpt 8G, which reverses the emphases observed in excerpts 8C-8F. In excerpt 8G, moves 1 and 2 comprise the bulk of the abstract, and move 3 is just a single sentence. Much of the abstract is used to elucidate important gaps in the field that (1) a size-based standard for regulating atmospheric particulate matter is inadequate because it does not take into account chemical composition, and (2) compositional analyses are difficult, especially for metals, because they often exist in multiple oxidation states. These gaps help to establish the relevance of the authors work. Only in the last sentence do the authors mention their work specifically (move 3). Here, they identify their method (micro-XANES) and tell readers what results will be presented at the conference. 

Move 1] Currently atmospheric particulate matter is regulated based on various size categories because of the apparent association between particle size and adverse health effects. [Move 2] However, the current size-based understanding of atmospheric particles is relatively crude because it does not account for differences in the chemical composition of these particles. Presumably a chemically reactive particle has a greater potential for damage than a chemically inert particle of comparable size. Of the metals potentially... 

The Beijing area in north China is well situated for investigating relationships between the elemental composition of atmospheric particulate matter and air mass movements. The municipality of Beijing (Beijing shi) has a population of 7 million, half of whom live in the city proper, and pollution sources of trace gases... 

For atmospheric particulate matter, concentrations are expressed in mass per unit volume, commonly fig m 3, or in the number of particles per unit volume, for example, per cm3. 

Jang, M., and R. M. Kaniens, A Thermodynamic Approach for Modeling Partitioning of Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds on Atmospheric Particulate Matter Humidity Effects, Environ. Sci. Technol., 32, 1237-1243 (1998). 

Ketseridis, G., J. Hahn, R. Jaenicke, and C. Junge, The Organic Constituents of Atmospheric Particulate Matter, Atmos. Environ., 10, 603-610 (1976). 

Atmospheric Particulate Matter Humidity Effects, Environ. Sci. Technol., 32, 1237-1243 (1998). 

Van Vaeck, L., and K. Van Cauwenberghe, Cascade Impactor Measurements of the Size Distribution of the Major Classes of Organic Pollutants in Atmospheric Particulate Matter, Atmos. Environ., 12, 2229-2239 (1978). 

The first steps in traditional analysis of the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric particulate matter are sampling, that is, obtaining a representative sample over the desired size range, and collection, that is, separating the particles from air. During sampling and collection, such parameters as humidity, temperature, and particle concentration must be controlled to maintain the sample integrity. 

Table 11.11 summarizes the major methods used to measure the inorganic elements in atmospheric particulate matter. 

Brook, J. R., T. F. Dann, and R. T. Burnett, The Relationship among TSP, PM10, PM25, and Inorganic Constituents of Atmospheric Particulate Matter at Multiple Canadian Locations, J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc., 47, 2-19 (1997). 

Lindberg, J. D., 1975. The composition and optical absorption coefficient of atmospheric particulate matter, Opt. Quant. Electron., 7, 131-139. 

C. Moscoso-Perez, J. Moreda-Pineiro, P. Lopez-Mahia, S. Muniategui-Lorenzo, E. Fernandez-Fernandez and D. Prada-Rodriguez, Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of As, Bi, Sb, Se(tV) and Te(IV) in aqua regia extracts from atmospheric particulate matter using multivariate optimisation, Anal. Chim. Acta, 526(2), 2004, 185-192. 

Experiments attempting to measure the extent of loss of organic C from the particle phase following collection have also been performed. The simplest experiment consists of passing carbon-free air through a filter loaded with freshly collected atmospheric particulate matter and determining the decrease in organic C. Such experiments (61, 62) have failed to show sig-... 

Both settle-able and suspended atmospheric particles have deleterious effects upon the environment. The scttlc-able partidcs can affect health if assimilated and also can cause adverse effects on materials, crops, and vegetation. Further, such partides settle out in streams and upon land where soluble substances, sometimes including hazardous materials, are dissolved out of the particles and thus become pollutants of soils and surface and ground waters. Suspended atmospheric particulate matter has undesirable effects on visibility and, if continuous and of sufficient concentration, possible modifying effects on the climate. Importantly, it is particles within a size range from 2 to 5 micrometers and smaller that are considered most harmful to health because particles of this size tend to penetrate the body s defense mechanisms and reach most deeply into the lungs. 

One of the most successful applications of PIXE has been in the analysis of air pollution particulate matter. Atmospheric particulate matter is typically collected by impaction on a filter paper, which provides an ideal thin sample for PIXE analysis. Another aspect of PIXE that is very important for the analysis of aerosol samples is the ability to analyze a large number of samples in a short time. PIXE analyses typically take less than a minute, and the entire irradiation, counting, sample changing, and analysis procedure can be automated. 

BACKGROUND LEVELS OF ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE MATTER OVER THE NORTHEAST ATLANTIC OCEAN... 

In order to improve our knowledge about the marine aerosol and its formation we established a land-based aerosol sampling station on the western coast of Terceira island (Azores). Here we present the first measurements of a project of sampling atmospheric particulate matter which started in Spring of 1999 and will be extended for one year. 

The reaction does not have preparative significance. However, it has been surmised that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter can become activated as a result of atmospheric oxidation. Samples of such materials could display a degree of mutagenicity not associated with inactivated hydrocarbons. Although in many cases the precise nature of the oxidant is not clear, Pitts et al.60 have been able to show that ozone can convert benzo[a] pyrene, adsorbed on a glass filter, to its 4,5-oxide (28). 

Wildfires represent a major source of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) especially fine particles with diameter <2.5 pm (PM2.5). High ambient fine particle concentrations are associated with serious health problems [4], At times extensive... 

Pinder RW, Adams PJ, Pandis SN (2007) Ammonia emission controls as a cost-effective strategy for reducing atmospheric particulate matter in the eastern United States. Environ Sci Technol 41 380-386... 

---