engleski

Distribution of mercury and aerosols of lead and cadmium in the atmosphere of Zagreb

Random monitoring of mercury in the atmosphere of Zagreb in the past three years has resulted in construction of mercury air-pollution maps. The concentrations vary significantly with the seasonal weather changes, midspring maximum values of 50 ng (Hg)m-3 rise to over 100 ng (Hg) m-3 in the midwinter months. The observed halo of mercury pollution is almost permanently present over the central and eastern parts of the city thus severely impacting the soil through washout and dry deposition. Sampling of particulate airborne matter gave a more complete characterization of heavy metal contamination of the city. Total lead concentrations varies in the range of 140-3400 ng (Pb) m-3. Although lead is mainly the product of gasoline combustion, the results show that the influence of certain industries is far from negligible. Cadmium concentration in air ranging from 1 to 3.2 ng(Cd) m-3 and pattern of distribution applys that the pollution sources should be found in coal combustion.

: Aerosols; Mercury; Lead; Cadmium; Atmospheric pollution in Zagreb; Zeeman AA analyzer; Graphite furnace AAS

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