Relationship between concentrations of metal aerosol pollutants and the averaging time

Abstract

The relationship between the maximum concentrations of iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, gold, manganese, lanthanum, scandium, caesium, selenium, vanadium, aluminium, sulphur dioxide, oxidants and dust and the sample testing averaging time at two locations in Sofia was studied. The relationship was examined on the basis of neutron-activation, spectrophotometric and gravimetric data for two series of experiments over a period of 3 years. It was established that the maximum concentrations per hour, day, month and year satisfy Larsen, McGuire and Noll's equation for air pollutants: C_{max. (t)}=C_max.(h)t^b where C_{max. (h)} and C_{max. (t)} are the maximum concentrations, per hour and per t hours, respectively, and b varies with the type of pollutant and the location of testing. Bearing in mind that the physico-chemical properties of gaseous pollutants are very different from those of metal aerosols, the relationship established for the latter is considered to indicate the universality of Larsen, McGuire and Noll's equation.