title: Determination of airborne cadmium in environmental tobacco smoke by instrumental neutron activation analysis with a compton suppression system.
abstract: Concentrations of cadmium, a toxic trace element, were measured in the indoor air of several public places where environmental tobacco smoke was present. Particulate-phase cadmium concentrations were determined by analyzing air filter samples using epithermal instrumental neutron activation analysis in conjunction with a Compton suppression gamma-ray detection system, in which the detection limit for cadmium was reduced to a few nanograms per filter. A cascade impactor and a personal filter sampler were used to collect the indoor suspended particulate matter for size-fractionated mass as well as total mass, respectively. Results show that where environmental tobacco smoke is present, cadmium concentrations are significantly higher than background and that about 80% of the cadmium found in indoor airborne particulate matter is associated with particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 1.8 microns. In one instance, airborne cadmium concentrations in a music club were found to be 38 ng/m, which is at least 30 times higher than background.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landsberger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis*; D009501:Neutron Activation Analysis; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D002104:Cadmium