AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Crustal and Toxic Metal Emissions from Fuel Sources Used on the Navajo Nation
MARIEL PRICE, Brian Majestic, Wyatt Champion, Jason Schenandoah, Lupita Montoya, Joanna Gordon, Benton Cartledge, Michael Hannigan, University of Denver
Abstract Number: 685 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract PM2.5 emissions from the combustion of various fuel sources used in homes on the Navajo Nation were analyzed to determine the concentration of select crustal (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Rb, Sr, Ba, and U) and combustion (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ce, and Pb) elements. PM2.5 was collected inside and outside of homes around Shiprock, NM and Tsaile, AZ that use wood, coal, pellet, natural gas, propane, electricity, or combinations of the fuels for heating and cooking. Results from the study indicate that the average amount of total PM2.5 collected outside of homes in Shiprock was 12.5 ± 6.5 ug m-3 and in Tsaile was 18 ± 11 ug m-3. The average indoor PM2.5 concentration in Shiprock was 20.1 ± 5.5 ug m-3 and in Tsaile was 47 ± 21 ug m-3. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations in both locations were highest during the use of wood based fuels. In Tsaile, the indoor concentrations of all elements were far greater than what was measured outside of the homes, suggesting a significant source of trace elements indoors. The concentration of crustal elements observed indoors in Shiprock, however, was always less than or similar to the outdoor concentrations. This suggests that other aerosol species (e.g., carbon or major ions) are responsible for the increased indoor PM2.5 concentrations. Wood based fuels were the greatest contributors to potassium and iron concentrations inside of homes at both sites. In addition, zinc, copper, and manganese were the combustion elements observed in greatest concentrations in both Tsaile and Shiprock. Aside from the association of potassium with wood, there were no obvious associations between trace element composition and fuel type, which suggests that other sources are important.