Distribution of Cd, Pb and Hg Emissions Among Sectors of Economy in Poland and the Emission Assessment for the Years 1990-2000

Abstract

The article is focused on the emission of Cd, Pb and Hg to the atmosphere from the territory of Poland. Source categories responsible for this emission and its changes in the years 1990-2000 are also discussed. The country-specific emission factors of the investigated metals are presented. The metal concentrations in automative fuels used in Poland are specified. The fuel samples for investigations were collected in stations operated by 16 different companies including Shell, Statoil, BP, Aral, Texaco, Esso and others. Considering over 40 various processes-anthropogenic sources of Cd, Pb and Hg emission to the atmosphere in Poland, we found that the volumes of the metals in 2000 compared to the loads of 1990 were respectively 55%,47% and 77%. The reasons of the changes are discussed in the article.