Monitoring of (7)Be in surface air of varying PM(10) concentrations

In this study, beryllium-7 ((7)Be) concentrations of surface air were monitored throughout a span of 23 years (1992-2012) in the Taiwanese cities Yilan, Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. During this period, particulate matter (PM) concentrations, in terms of PM10, were collected monthly from the nearest air-quality pollutant monitoring stations and compared against (7)Be concentrations. Seasonal monsoons influenced (7)Be concentrations in all cities, resulting in high winter and low summer concentrations. In addition, the meteorological conditions caused seasonal PM10 variations, yielding distinct patterns among the cities. There was no correlation between (7)Be and PM10 in the case cities. The average annual (7)Be concentrations varied little among the cities, ranging from 2.9 to 3.5 mBq/m(3), while the PM10 concentrations varied significantly from 38 μg/m(3) in Yilan to 92 μg/m(3) in Kaohsiung depending on the degree of air pollution and meteorological conditions. The correlation between the (7)Be concentration and gross-beta activities (Aβ) in air implied that the (7)Be was mainly attached to crustal PM and its concentration varied little among the cities, regardless of the increase in anthropogenic PM in air-polluted areas.