International Journal of Healthcare Sciences ISSN 2348-5728 (Online) Vol. 8, Issue 1, pp: (79-85), Month: April 2020 - September 2020, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Size and Composition Distribution of Atmospheric Particles at Shanxi Normal University (SXNU) campus site in Linfen, China Arash Gharibi1*, Zhang Donghai1, Yu Wang2, He Tengjiao2, Liao Weiguang2, Pu Qiao2 1
Institute of Modern Physics, Shanxi Normal University,Linfen 041004, P. R. China 2
School of Life Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041004, P. R. China *arash@sxnu.edu.cn
Abstract: To the best of our knowledge, no measurements of airborne particles have previously been carried out in the city of Linfen, Shanxi Province, China. Size-resolved aerosol mass and elemental compositions were measured in the urban background environment during the Linfen Air Quality Study. Weekly samples were collected for three months from October 2019 to December 2019. A Tisch Ambient EightStage Cascade Impactor was used to collect aerosol samples of fine particulate matters smaller than 10 µm; also, a 400 mesh hexagonal Agar SEM grid was used to sample particles to carry out SEM analyses. Approximately 78% of samples contain aerosol particles below 7 µm, which means the aerosol particles are respirable. Approximately 25% of samples contain aerosol particles below 2 µm, which means the aerosol particles can reach the alveoli of the lung. These are harmful to human health if they consist of dangerous particulate matters. SEM analyses show the following elements which are presented in the particulate matter of Linfen urban air: Mg (MgO), Al (Al2O3), Si (SiO2), S (FeS2), K, Ca, Cu, Fe, Ag, and Ti. Our study cannot verify whether these elements are hazardous in Lifen’s aerosol. Keywords: Trace metals; SEM; Atmosphere aerosol particles; Human health; Air Pollution; Air Quality.
1. INTRODUCTION There has been broad interest in research on aerosol particles, particularly because of the risk to the health of the earth’s population and ecosystems that it represents. Aerosol particles are solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere from 0.1 to 10 µm in diameter (1). Although the mass of aerosols in the atmosphere accounts for only one billionth of the total atmospheric mass, it has an important impact on the global energy and moisture cycle and many physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere (2-3). The elemental composition, morphological and thermodynamic properties of aerosol particles vary with the geographical area and with the season of the year. The distribution of Linfen’s topographic outline is generally "concave" type, surrounded by mountains; the middle is plain. Located in the Fen River Valley, Linfen is one of the China's major high-quality main coking coal bases. The locals maintain the coal-based energy structure in the long term. Under the influence of the valley terrain, the average annual wind speed is small; the static wind frequency is high, which is not conducive to the spread of atmospheric pollutants. The difficulty of improving air quality in Linfen is increasing year by year and there is greater uncertainty. The results show that the air quality in Linfen is at the moderate pollution level, but the pollution level becomes serious in winter. The pollution level is different in different seasons, so we should strengthen governance. Therefore, it is of scientific significance to study the atmospheric pollution of Linfen from the perspective of aerosol particles.
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