Elemental composition of fine particles in four major Australian cities

Abstract

The investigation of the chemical composition of PM10 and PM 2.5 has been carried out since February 2003 in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. 24-hour aerosol samples are collected from a typical urban and suburban monitoring site operated by the state EPA in each city. ANSTO performs gravimetric analysis, accelerator-based ion beam analysis and integrating plate laser absorption analysis to determine the elemental composition of the aerosols. Preliminary results including quality assurance, aerosol concentrations and chemical composition including the levels of heavy metals in the samples collected up to April 2003 are discussed in this paper. The study is coordinated by Griffith University, EPA Victoria and University of the Sunshine Coast, and funded by the Commonwealth Government's Natural Heritage Trust.