Elemental composition of PM10 and PM2.5 in urban environment in South Brazil

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the elemental composition and the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the Guaíba Hydrographic Basin with HV PM10 and dichotomous samplers. Three sampling sites were selected: 8° Distrito, CEASA and Charqueadas. The sampling was conducted from October 2001 to December 2002. The mass concentrations of the samplers were evaluated, while the elemental concentrations of Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn were determined using the Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. Factor Analysis and Canonical Correlation Analysis were applied to the chemical and meteorological variables in order to identify the sources of particulate matter. Industrial activities such as steel plants, coal-fired power plants, hospital waste burning, vehicular emissions and soil were identified as the sources of the particulate matter. Concentration levels higher than the daily and the annual average air quality standards (150 and 50 μg m−3, respectively) set by the Brazilian legislation were not observed.