Assessment of heavy metal contents in the ambient air of the Coimbatore city, Tamilnadu, India

Industrialization and urbanization are the two major causes of deteriorating air quality. To evaluate the ambient air quality of the Coimbatore city, suspended particulate matter (SPM) was collected at ten stations and analysed for the heavy metals content. The concentrations of seven heavy metals (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hazardous materials 2008-12, Vol.160 (2), p.548-553
Main Authors: Vijayanand, C., Rajaguru, P., Kalaiselvi, K., Selvam, K. Panneer, Palanivel, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis
Air Pollution - analysis
Ambient air
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Coimbatore
Environmental Monitoring
Exact sciences and technology
Heavy metal
Humidity
India
Metals, Heavy - analysis
Pollution
Suspended particulate matter
Temperature
Weather
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Summary:Industrialization and urbanization are the two major causes of deteriorating air quality. To evaluate the ambient air quality of the Coimbatore city, suspended particulate matter (SPM) was collected at ten stations and analysed for the heavy metals content. The concentrations of seven heavy metals (Zn, Fe, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd) were estimated. The level of SPM was found to be either at permissible or non-permissible limit depending upon the category of the sampling station. At majority of sampling stations, concentrations of Zn were found to be maximum than other heavy metals. The order of average concentrations of heavy metals in Coimbatore atmospheric air was Zn > Fe > Cu > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd. The usage of Zn for protective coating on iron, steel etc. by the industries in Coimbatore city could be the major reason for the higher concentration of this heavy metal in this region.
ISSN:0304-3894
1873-3336
DOI:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.03.071