Impact of PM2.5 and PM10 Emissions on Changes of Their Concentration Levels in Lithuania: A Case Study

Abstract

Due to negative effects on human health and visibility, atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is a prioritized contaminant for urban air pollution management. Over the past few decades, managing emissions have been a top priority. This paper investigated PM national inventory data and mass concentration trends for Lithuania. This analysis considers primary (sum of filterable and condensable) PM2.5 and PM10 emissions from point, mobile on-road and off-road, industry, agriculture, and waste sectors. In this study, by examining both the emissions and the mass concentrations of PM10, the effects of emissions decreasing with a concentration decrease were revealed. The slower decreasing tendency of PM10 and BC (0.03 Gg/year) than that of PM2.5 (0.1 Gg/year) should be noted. Furthermore, the correlation analysis also finds that the increase in PM10 from stationary and mobile combustion sources is closely related to the increase in the contribution to the pollution level.