title: Levels and speciation of arsenic in the atmosphere in Beijing, China.
abstract: Arsenic levels and speciation in the total suspended particles (TSPs) were quantitatively determined by high performance liquid chromatography on-line coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry in Beijing, China from February 2009 to March 2011. The high TSP levels fluctuated between 0.07 and 0.79 mg m(-3), with a mean level of 0.32 ± 0.17 mg m(-3). The total arsenic concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.31 μg m(-3) (mean: 0.13 ± 0.06 μg m(-3)) in Beijing's air. The concentrations of As(III) and As(V) ranged from 0.73 to 20 ng m(-3) (mean: 4.7 ± 3.6 ng m(-3)) and from 14 to 2.5 × 10(2) ng m(-3) (mean: 67 ± 35 ng m(-3)), respectively. As levels and speciation demonstrated relative higher levels in spring and autumn and lower values in summer and winter. As(V) accounted for 81-99% of the extractable species in the TSP samples which showed that As(V) was the major fraction of the extractable As. Organoarsenic species, monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) were not found in all samples. Higher values of enrichment factors demonstrated that arsenic in TSP mainly come from anthropogenic sources. High As and its species levels in air and respiratory exposure (0.30-0.84 μg d(-1)) attributed to higher excess cancer risk ((4.2 ± 2.0) × 10(-4)) for people in Beijing.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques and International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Guosheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Diandou
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Liyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hongliang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Yongbao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhifang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chai
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D002681:China; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects; D012306:Risk; D013535:Suspensions; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D013535:Suspensions; D001151:Arsenic