Conference proceeding
Sources and distribution of iron within coarse particulate matter in Cleveland, Ohio
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Vol.2011
American Geophysical Union 2011 fall meeting
12/2011
Abstract
Iron in aerosols has been associated with adverse cardiovascular and respiratory health effects. However, the form and extent of these impacts depends on the chemical state of iron in the particle phase. To gain a better understanding of human exposure to particulate iron, it is also important to identify the spatial distribution of different types of iron-containing particles in regions with complex aerosol populations, such as urban regions with many particulate iron sources. In this work, coarse atmospheric particles (2.5-10 microns) were passively sampled across the Cleveland, Ohio metropolitan area during summer 2008, summer 2009, and winter 2010. These samples were analyzed using computer controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM) to determine the physical (size and morphology) and chemical properties (energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) of 19 elements) of individual particles. Iron-containing particles were isolated and clustered using the k-means algorithm to group particles with similar EDS spectra, indicating similar sources. Further SEM-EDS analysis was performed to map the spatial distribution of iron within single particles. The main particle types containing iron were: mineral dust, stainless steel, fly ash, and agglomerates formed through coagulation with other (non-iron-containing) particle types. Differences were observed in the concentrations, size distributions, and physical properties of the iron-containing particles spatially, seasonally, and interannually. Iron within single particles varied from a homogeneous distribution throughout the particle to small iron inclusions in particles predominantly composed of other metals or minerals, likely indicating varying degrees of iron bioavailability upon inhalation. Given the many different forms of iron observed during this study, future studies evaluating the health effects of iron will need to investigate the potential variation in bioavailability of iron in different types of iron-containing particles as the ultimate goal of this type of study is to identify and particle sources that contribute to negative human health effects.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Sources and distribution of iron within coarse particulate matter in Cleveland, Ohio
- Creators
- T Peters - University of Iowa Iowa City, IA USA United StatesA. P AultE SawvelG CasuccioR. D WillisV. H Grassian
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Publication Details
- American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Vol.2011
- Conference
- American Geophysical Union 2011 fall meeting
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union
- Alternative title
- AGU 2011 fall meeting
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/2011
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Chemistry; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health
- Record Identifier
- 9984214723502771
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