Lepetit, and two co-authors, reported in 2001 that the characterization of trace elements in suspended particulate matter in major industrial cities has recently become a subject of research, since the public authorities became aware of the absence or deficit of data on possible toxicological and physiological impacts of certain elements on health. Furthermore, standards for maximum permitted concentrations in the atmosphere, including for the aerosol fraction smaller than 2.5 um, the most harmful to the human respiratory system, are now being introduced.
Although the data provided by this study concern only the total atmospheric suspended particulates (TSP), the entire particle-size range was included, as the efficiency of the filter medium remains high down to submicron particle sizes. However, the relationship between the analysis and the particle size class was not studied. The nature of the elements and the concentrations detected in the atmosphere during 1998 identify the major anthropogenic pollutants and show their seasonal variations. These data provide a guide for further investigation of the impact on man. The results obtained could be used as reference indicators for evaluating the long-term overall variation of atmospheric pollution in the Paris region, particularly the heavy metal levels.
Furthermore, in addition to the measurements provided by the type of study described here, it is necessary to set up collaborations with the various protagonists concerned to a greater or lesser extent by urban pollution in order to obtain the most complete possible synthesis of the available data, in particular those relating to the emissions of the various industrial activities, which are rarely published. Knowledge of these data, coupled with atmospheric modelling taking into account local weather, should enable more precise determination of the origin of emission sources for the major pollutants.
This study has also shown that neutron activation analysis remains a powerful, nondestructive, multi-element analysis method, with a measurement sensitivity that remains acceptable for this type of study. Nevertheless, knowledge of the atmospheric concentrations of certain elements (Pb, Hg, S) that are of particular interest in terms of their impact on man necessitate the use of other techniques in addition to neutron activation (ICP-MS, AAS, etc.).
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