Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals (Pb, Cd, As, Hg) in PM2.5 and PM10 in a City in China

Abstract

In this paper, the contamination of heavy metals in atmospheric particles of PM2.5 and PM10 in a city in China was analyzed, meanwhile the sources of different heavy metals (Cd, Hg, As and Pb) in atmospheric particles (PM2.5 and PM10) were confirmed by source apportionment in a city in China area through principal component analytical method. The research results showed that the heavy metals in PM2.5 and PM10 contaminated the atmosphere environment dramatically. The heavy metal Cd, Hg and Pb came mainly from incomplete combustion of petrol, while the heavy metal of As was the product of electronic metallurgy, which provides the theoretical basis for controlling of atmospheric heavy metal contamination. This method can be also applied to source apportionment of other heavy metals in atmosphere environment.