Seasonal Variation of Fine Particulate Matter-Bound Toxic Metals in a Typical South Asian Industrial City
MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM, Afifa Aslam, Abid Mahmood,
Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan Abstract Number: 626
Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
AbstractAtmospheric particulate matter is recognized as a potential source and probable impact on human health. Faisalabad is an industrialized city in Pakistan and contains prime interest when it comes to the quality of ambient air. The current study mainly proposed to measure the concentration of toxic metals in PM
2.5 particulates in the ambient air of Faisalabad, Pakistan to attain the interest of policymakers and government institutes to address this issue of air pollution in Faisalabad. Samples of fine particulate matter were collected on a 24-hours basis using a high-volume air sampler in the winter of 2016 and summer of 2017. Potentially toxic metals, including Al, Cd, Zn, Cr, Mn, Cu, Ni, Na, Pb, and Fe, were analyzed to study their levels and size distribution through Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), Flame unit. At all the sampling sites, Al (42.283 µg/m
3) was found in the utmost concentration due to the Al smelting in the study area followed by Fe, Na, Zn, Pb, and Cu. The cadmium (0.002 µg/m
3) and chromium (0.338 µg/m
3) were found in moderate to high concentration, while, Mn and Ni were found in low concentration. While moderately strong to highly strong Pearson’s correlation was observed between PM
2.5 and almost all the selected metals. The main sources contributing to toxic metals in the air of Faisalabad city were recognized by principal component analysis: industrial and vehicular emission, soil dust, and road re-suspension dust.