Trace elements in total atmospheric suspended particles in a suburban area of Paris: A study carried out by INAA

The atmospheric particulate matter of industrialised cities have become a mixture of potentially basic substances whose concentration have to be monitored to assess the pollution levels. Anthropogenic elements, particularly trace metal, are part of these pollutants and the knowledge of their total concentration in the air is necessary to evaluate the pollution risk in term of maximum levels and long term exposure. In the present work a preliminary study initiated for monitoring the trace element levels present in total atmospheric suspended particles (TSP) of the suburban areas of Paris in France is presented. More than 30 elements have been determined using a high volume air sampler, about 600 m3.h-1, installed near a busy highway and equipped with large filters for weekly collection of atmospheric aerosols. The study covers a period of a whole year (1998) and different weather conditions. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) from the OSIRIS research reactor (neutron flux: 1.2.1014 n.s-1 .cm-2) at the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Saclay centre, has been used for the determination of the great part of element whereas ICP-MS has been employed for determination of lead. Enrichment factors were used to investigate trends, emission sources