ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Variations of Concentrations,
Profiles and Possible Sources of Metals
and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
in PM10 from Lanzhou, China
Yunjiang Yu1,2, Qiong Wang2,3, Liangzhong Li1, Peng Sun4, Yanping Zhang2,
Haipeng Lin5, Jianhua Chen2, Bigui Lin1, Mingdeng Xiang1
1South China Institute of Environmental Science, MEP, Guangzhou 510535, China
2Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
3Institute of Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, China CDC, Beijing 100021, China
4State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing,
Beijing 100083, China
5China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China
2Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
3Institute of Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, China CDC, Beijing 100021, China
4State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing,
Beijing 100083, China
5China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China
Publication date: 2016-05-25
Submission date: 2015-12-02
Final revision date: 2016-01-18
Acceptance date: 2016-01-22
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2016;25(3):1323–1330
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants in airborne particulate
matter. In order to better understand the concentrations and origins of metals and PAHs bound to particulate
matter in Lanzhou city in northwest China, six metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Cr) and 16 selected PAHs in
108 particulate matter samples were quantified by inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results demonstrated that metals and PAHs in the ambient
air of Lanzhou city showed regional and seasonal trends, and their concentrations were higher than those
in several other Asian and European cities. The high molecular weight PAHs in winter were higher than in
summer in both Xigu District and Yuzhong town. The principle components analysis (PCA) method was
applied to analyze the sources of metals bound to particulate matters (PM2.5, PM10, TSP) and PAHs bound
to PM10, and results showed that vehicle emissions, coal combustion, and oil combustion were probably the
main sources of metal and PAHs in Lanzhou PM.
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