title: Variations in vanadium, nickel and lanthanoid element concentrations in urban air.
abstract: The emission of trace metal pollutants by industry and transport takes place on a scale large enough to alter atmospheric chemistry and results in measurable differences between the urban background of inhalable particulate matter (PM) in different towns. This is particularly well demonstrated by the technogenic release into the atmosphere of V, Ni, and lanthanoid elements. We compare PM concentrations of these metals in large datasets from five industrial towns in Spain variously influenced by emissions from refinery, power station, shipping, stainless steel, ceramic tiles and brick-making. Increased La/Ce values in urban background inhalable PM, due to La-contamination from refineries and their residual products (fuel oils and petcoke), contrast with Ce-rich emissions from the ceramic related industry, and clearly demonstrate the value of this ratio as a sensitive and reliable tracer for many point source emissions. Similarly, anomalously high V/Ni values (>4) can detect the influence of nearby high-V petcoke and fuel oil combustion, although the use of this ratio in urban background PM is limited by overlapping values in natural and anthropogenic materials. Geochemical characterisation of urban background PM is a valuable compliment to the physical monitoring of aerosols widely employed in urban areas, especially given the relevance of trace metal inhalation to urban health issues.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA, CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. teresa.moreno@idaea.csic.es
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Querol
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alastuey
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Rosa
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sánchez de la Campa
authors.forename: Maricruz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minguillón
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pandolfi
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: González-Castanedo
authors.forename: Eliseo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monfort
authors.forename: Wes
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gibbons
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D028581:Lanthanoid Series Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D009532:Nickel / Q000032:analysis*; D010316:Particle Size; D014639:Vanadium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D028581:Lanthanoid Series Elements; D014639:Vanadium; D009532:Nickel