Changes in elemental composition and mass of atmospheric aerosol pollution between 1996 and 2002 in a Central European city

Our plain-English summary of Changes in elemental composition and mass of atmospheric aerosol pollution between 1996 and 2002 in a Central European city, by I. Salma, W. Maenhaut (Environmental Pollution, 2006).

The study

• Authors: I. Salma, W. Maenhaut
• Journal: Environmental Pollution
• Published: 2006;143(3):479-88
• Cited by: 36 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Median atmospheric concentrations of Pb, Br, S, As, Se, and particulate matter (PM) decreased, and median concentrations of Sb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Ca, Cr and Ba increased in urban aerosol in downtown Budapest between 1996 and 2002. The changes in Pb and Br concentrations were unambiguously attributed to the phasing out of leaded gasoline. The increments were mainly related to and explained by non-exhaust vehicular emissions. The mechanical wear of asbestos-free brake linings of road vehicles contributed to the concentration of Cu and Sb on average by 69% and 66%, respectively in the PM10 size fraction. Tire rubber abrasion was a major source for atmospheric Zn; on average, non-crustal sources accounted for 67% of Zn in the PM10 size fraction. Contribution of the tire wear component to the PM10 mass was estimated to be 6% at most, while its contribution to organic aerosol was of the order of 15%.

In plain English

This air-monitoring study did not examine asbestos exposure or disease; asbestos appears only in describing brake linings, which were asbestos-free. The authors compared coarse (PM10-2.0) and fine (PM2.0) airborne particles collected in spring at two downtown kerbside sites in Budapest, 1996 to 2002. Median coarse particle mass fell from 48 to 30 micrograms per cubic metre and fine mass from 26 to 20. The article states decreases of 25% and 12%, which do not match these figures. Lead and bromine fell, which the authors attributed to the phasing out of leaded gasoline. Sulfur, arsenic and selenium fell, most likely because less coal was burned. Antimony and copper rose the most; the authors estimated that wear of asbestos-free brake linings made up on average 69% of copper and 66% of antimony in PM10. Tire wear was estimated at about 5.6% of PM10 mass and of the order of 15% of organic aerosol, both stated as upper limits. The authors concluded that non-exhaust traffic emissions and coarse particles are growing in importance. They noted the campaigns were short, covered only spring, and gave few samples.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Environmental air-sampling study comparing particle mass and elemental composition across spring field campaigns (1996 to 2002), with source attribution using enrichment factors, day/night ratios and correlations
• Who was studied: Airborne particles at two downtown kerbside sites in Budapest, Hungary: Széna Square (spring 1996, 1998, 1999) and Rákóczi Street (spring 2001, 2002). Samples: 33 in 1996, three each in 1998 and 1999, five in 2001, and in 2002 11 daytime and 12 night samples
• Exposure: Ambient urban aerosol in coarse (PM10-2.0) and fine (PM2.0) size fractions, analysed for particle mass, black carbon and up to 46 elements from sodium to uranium. Sources considered included leaded gasoline, coal burning, brake lining wear (asbestos-free linings) and tire wear. No asbestos fibers were measured.
• Main results:
  • Median coarse (PM10-2.0) and fine (PM2.0) particle mass concentrations were 48 and 26 micrograms per cubic metre in spring 1996, and 30 and 20 in spring 2002. The units are printed as 'mg/m3', but Table 1 (30360 ng/m3) confirms micrograms.
  • The article states that median coarse particle mass decreased by 25% over the period. This does not match its own printed medians of 48 and 30, from which a decrease of about 37.5% would be worked out.
  • The article states that median fine particle mass decreased by 12%. This does not match its own printed medians of 26 and 20, from which a decrease of about 23% would be worked out.
  • The authors attributed the falls in lead and bromine to the phasing out of leaded gasoline in Hungary, completed on 1 April 1999.
  • The authors said the falls in sulfur, arsenic and selenium could most likely be explained by less coal burning in the Budapest area.
  • The largest concentration increases in both size fractions from 1996 to 2002 were for antimony and copper, which the article links to brake lining wear. Asbestos-free brake linings gradually spread across Hungary in this period.
  • The article's abstract attributes copper and antimony in PM10 to the wear of asbestos-free brake linings of road vehicles.
  • The brake lining wear component made up on average 69% (plus or minus 7) of copper and 66% (plus or minus 9) of antimony in the PM10 size fraction.
  • Non-crustal coarse zinc, which the authors linked mainly to road traffic and tire wear, accounted on average for 67% (plus or minus 12) of zinc in PM10.
  • The tire wear component contributed on average 5.6% (plus or minus 2.7) of PM10 mass, which the authors regarded as an upper limit.
  • The tire wear component contributed of the order of 15% (plus or minus 6) of organic aerosol in PM10, also as an upper limit.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that non-exhaust traffic emissions and coarse-mode particles are of increasing importance for urban environment and health impacts. They also concluded that coarse-mode copper, antimony and zinc, together with fine-mode elemental or black carbon, seem to be appropriate markers for traffic-related emissions.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The field campaigns were limited in time, so the authors said the results cannot be generalized to all seasons.
  • The number of samples was limited.
  • The black carbon reflectometer method may somewhat overestimate actual concentrations.
  • Tire rubber particles can be electrically charged, which may cause peculiarities in their sampling.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Brake Lining.

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