European isotopic signatures for lead in atmospheric aerosols: a source apportionment based upon 206Pb/207Pb ratios

To investigate the capability of the lead isotope signature technique to support a source apportionment study at a Continental scale, atmospheric particulate matter was collected at Cap Gris-Nez (Eastern Channel, northern France), over one year (1995–1996). Four days retrospective trajectories of air masses were available during each sampling experiment. Twenty-eight samples, for which the origin of aerosols was unambiguously determined, were selected for isotopic measurements. Considering the Enrichment Factors, EFCrust of lead and its size distribution, we show that lead is mostly from anthropogenic origin and mainly associated with [0.4