Determination of soluble ultra-trace metals and metalloids in rainwater and atmospheric deposition fluxes: A 2-year survey and assessment

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2013-08, Vol.92 (8), p.882-891
• Main Authors: Montoya-Mayor, R., Fernández-Espinosa, A.J., Seijo-Delgado, I., Ternero-Rodríguez, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acid treatment; Air Pollutants - analysis; aluminum; anthropogenic activities; Applied sciences; arsenic; Atmospheric pollution; chemometrics; chromium; cobalt; dry deposition; Dry deposition fluxes; Earth, ocean, space; emissions; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Mass Spectrometry; Metalloids - analysis; Metals - analysis; Meteorology; Natural water pollution; nickel; Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution; polluted soils; Pollution; Principal Component Analysis - methods; rain; Rain - chemistry; Rainwater; Rainwaters, run off water and others; samplers; Seasons; Sequential PCA; Spain; surveys; Trace elements; Trace Elements - analysis; traffic; Water in the atmosphere (humidity, clouds, evaporation, precipitation); Water treatment and pollution; Weather
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.02.044

•Today, also coarse particles cause harmful effects through ground depositions.•Industrial (Cr) and traffic (Pb) pollutants were deposited in soils along the time.•Toxic metals (Cd, Ni, Mo, Cu) and metalloids (As) were best removed by rain.•Heavy rainfalls remove better B≫Tl, Th, U>Be, Ti, Cr, Mn>Co, As, Fe, Ni.•Light rainfalls remove better Zn, Pb>Sb, Ba>Mo, Cu. The present work investigates the relationships between composition of rainwater and dry deposition fluxes by trace metals and metalloids. A modification in automatic “wet-only” and “dry-only” samplers was applied, which allowed the collection and conservation of samples separately. ICP-MS technique was used for the determination of analytes in samples. Concentrations of soluble elements in rainwater were measured directly in filtered samples. A sequential acid treatment with nitric, hydrofluoric and finally perchloric acids was used to measure the total contents of metals and metalloids in coarse particles. Variation between periods of heavy and light rains was assessed. Almost all of the metals and metalloids – B, Tl, Th, U, Al, Cs, Be, Ti and others – studied in dry deposition showed important decreases in concentrations (40–92%) during periods of heavy rainfall. Most of these metals and metalloids – As, Cr, Co, Ni – presented their highest levels (53–90%) in heavy rainfall periods in rainwater samples. Sources were identified in both types of samples collected using a new chemometric tool (SPCA). Urban traffic, surrounding contaminated soils and local anthropogenic sources were identified for rainwater samples. Natural and contaminated soils and general anthropogenic emissions were the sources identified for dry deposition fluxes.