Variation in the Concentration of Metals in Road Dust Size Fractions Between 2 µm and 2 mm: Results from Three Metallurgical Centres in Poland

Abstract

The composition of road dust is influenced by emissions from local industry as well as by traffic emissions. Thus, the composition of urban road dust can be used as an indicator for environmental pollution. Pollutants contained in road dust also are transferred into the atmosphere by resuspension and into the aquatic system by wash-off. In this transfer, the particle size of the road dust particles is of extreme importance. Therefore, information about the composition of road dust in dependence of the particle size is crucial. In this study, road dust samples were separated by air classification into size fractions down to 2 µm. The chemical analysis of the size fractions also revealed a significant size dependence of the metal concentrations in the finest size fractions. The least polluted size fraction was generally the fraction 200–500 µm, whereas the highest concentrations were measured in the finest size fraction < 2 µm. These results are important for the assessment of the mass fraction of the various pollutants in the mobile size fractions in re-entrainment as well as in run-off during rainfall.