High fraction of soluble trace metals in fine particles under heavy haze in central China

Mingyuan Liu; Weigang Wang; Jie Li; Tiantian Wang; Zhenying Xu; Yu Song; Wenyu Zhang; Li Zhou; Chaofan Lian; Jinxing Yang; Yanyu Li; Yele Sun; Shengrui Tong; Yucong Guo; Maofa Ge

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156771

High fraction of soluble trace metals in fine particles under heavy haze in central China

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Oct 1:841:156771. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156771. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Authors

Mingyuan Liu¹, Weigang Wang², Jie Li³, Tiantian Wang⁴, Zhenying Xu⁴, Yu Song⁴, Wenyu Zhang⁵, Li Zhou⁶, Chaofan Lian⁷, Jinxing Yang⁸, Yanyu Li³, Yele Sun³, Shengrui Tong⁷, Yucong Guo⁷, Maofa Ge⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Chemistry Academy of Sciences Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Department of Ambient Air Quality Monitoring, China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing 100012, China.
² State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Chemistry Academy of Sciences Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. Electronic address: wangwg@iccas.ac.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.
⁴ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Department of Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
⁵ Department of Clinical Research, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250013, China.
⁶ College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Chemistry Academy of Sciences Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
⁸ Sanmenxia Environmental Monitoring Station, Sanmenxia 472400, China.

PMID: 35724777
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156771

Abstract

Atmospheric trace metals are a key component of particulate matter and significantly influence the atmospheric process and human health. The dissolved fraction of trace metals represents their bioavailability and exhibits high chemical activity. However, the optimum measurement method for detecting the soluble fraction of trace metals is still undetermined. The impact of variations in pollution on the soluble fraction is largely unrevealed. Therefore, in this work, a one-month field observation was conducted in Central China and different extraction solvents were used to determine the proper measurement method for the soluble fraction of trace metals and investigate the variation pattern under different pollution conditions. The findings show that solvents with acidity near that of aerosol water can better reflect the actual soluble fraction of trace metals in fine particulate matter. The soluble fraction of trace metals tends to increase with pollution level increased, demonstrating unexpectedly high health risks and chemical activity under heavy haze conditions. Our results indicate that remediation and trace metal pollution control are urgently needed.

Keywords: Acid dissolution; Health risk; Pollution condition; Soluble fraction; Trace metals.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
China
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Particulate Matter / analysis
Solvents
Trace Elements* / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Metals, Heavy
Particulate Matter
Solvents
Trace Elements