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AEROSOL SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Citation:
Graf, J., R. Snow, AND R. Draftz. AEROSOL SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS, PHOENIX, ARIZONA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-77/015 (NTIS PB263652), 1977.
Description:
An atmospheric sampling program was carried out in the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area in November, 1975. Objectives of the study were to measure aerosol mass flux through Phoenix and to characterize the aerosol according to particle type and size. The ultimate goal of the study was to determine whether the high mass loadings of suspended particles recorded for Phoenix are due to human activities within the Phoenix area or to long range transport from the surrounding deserts. Microscopic and chemical analyses of collected aerosol samples determined that minerals are the primary components of the Phoenix aerosol. The three mineral types that compose the bulk of the mass are the primary soil components in and around Phoenix and are also the primary components of the aggregate in the asphalt streets in Phoenix. Automobile-related particles ranged from 5% of the sample mass in outlying areas to as much as 50% in the central city on some sampling dates. These particles consisted of tailpipe emissions and rubber tire fragments and correlated with the presence of lead and bromine in the samples. The highest concentrations of automobile-related particles were found in periods of inversion at night and in the morning.