Urban and suburban aerosol in Yokohama, Japan: a comprehensive chemical characterization

This article analyses elemental composition of suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples collected monthly from 1999 to 2005 at two locations in Yokohama, Japan. Microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy was employed to measure Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Pb, and Bi. Water-soluble ions (Na(+), NH(4+), K(+), Ca(2+), Cl(-), NO(3-), and SO(4)2-) and carbonaceous mass (elemental and organic carbon) were detected using ion chromatograph and CHN analyzer, respectively. The results indicate that the composition of SPM on one of the sites is determined by automobile emissions and on the other by industrial combustions. The impact of the emission regulations for automobiles in large Japanese cities, which were enacted during 2002 and 2003, on the SPM composition of the samples is also studied.