Lead isotope characterization of petroleum fuels in Taipei, Taiwan.
Leaded gasoline in Taiwan was gradually phased out from 1983 to 2000. However, it is unclear whether unleaded gasoline still contributes to atmospheric lead (Pb) exposure in urban areas. In this study, Pb isotopic compositions of unleaded gasolines, with octane numbers of 92, 95, 98, and diesel from two local suppliers in Taipei were determined by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with a two-sigma uncertainty of ± 0.02 %. Lead isotopic ratios of vehicle exhaust (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb: 2.427, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb: 1.148, as estimated from petroleum fuels) overlap with the reported aerosol data. This agreement indicates that local unleaded petroleum fuels, containing 10-45 ng·Pb·g⁻¹, are merely one contributor among various sources to urban aerosol Pb. Additionally, the distinction between the products of the two companies is statistically significant in their individual ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ratios (p-value < 0.001, t test). Lead isotopic characterization appears to be applicable as a "fingerprinting" tool for tracing the sources of Pb pollution.
Agro-environment Laboratory (AELab), Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan. d97622006@ntu.edu.tw.
Pei-Hsuan
PH
Yao
Department of Travel and Ecotourism, Tungnan University, New Taipei City 222, Taiwan. gsshyu@mail.tnu.edu.tw.
Guey-Shin
GS
Shyu
Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu County 310, Taiwan. changyingfang@itri.org.tw.
Ying-Fang
YF
Chang
High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan. r99224105@ntu.edu.tw.
Yu-Chen
YC
Chou
High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environmental Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan. river@ntu.edu.tw.
Chuan-Chou
CC
Shen
Ecological Engineering Research Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan. chisuchou2012@gmail.com.
Chi-Su
CS
Chou
Agro-environment Laboratory (AELab), Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106, Taiwan. tknchang@ntu.edu.tw.
Tsun-Kuo
TK
Chang
D000336:Aerosols; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D007554:Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis*; D013624:Taiwan; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis
D000336:Aerosols; D007554:Isotopes; D010578:Petroleum; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D007854:Lead