Mass concentration and elemental composition of airborne particulate matter at street and background locations

Daytime PM10, PM2.5 and black smoke concentrations were measured simultaneously near a busy road and at a background location in two cities in the Netherlands. The elemental composition of the particles was analyzed with inductively coupled plasma (ICP). PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations at the street site were on average 1.3 times higher than the background concentrations. Black smoke (BS) concentrations at the street site were 2.6 times higher than at the background site. The greater part (83%) of the difference in PM2.5 concentrations between the street and background site could be attributed to a difference in elemental carbon (EC) concentrations, inferred from BS. About 50% of the difference in PM10 concentrations could be explained by a difference in EC concentrations. Fe and Si-concentrations in PM10 (and to a lesser extent PM2.5) samples were significantly higher at the street sites as compared to the background locations, indicating a contribution of suspended road dust to the coarse fraction of PM10 particles.