Large global variations in measured airborne metal concentrations driven by anthropogenic sources

Globally consistent measurements of airborne metal concentrations in fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) are important for understanding potential health impacts, prioritizing air pollution mitigation strategies, and enabling global chemical transport model development. This study analyzed PM₂.₅ filter samples (N=800 from 19 locations) from the SPARTAN network, revealing pronounced spatial variation in metal concentrations primarily driven by anthropogenic activities. Levels of metals in PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ exceeded health guidelines at multiple sites, notably Dhaka and Kanpur, exceeding lead and arsenic standards. High concentrations in densely populated cities necessitate expanded measurements and analyses.

Jacob McNeill, Graydon Snider, Crystal L. Weagle, Brenna Walsh, Paul Bissonnette, Emily Stone, Ihab Abboud, Clement Akoshile, Nguyen Xuan Anh, Rajasekhar Balasubramanian, Jeffrey R. Brook, Craig Coburn, Aaron Cohen, Jinlu Dong, Graham Gagnon, Rebecca M. Garland, Kebin He, Brent N. Holben, Ralph Kahn, Jong Sung Kim, Nofel Lagrosas, Puji Lestari, Yang Liu, Farah Jeba, Khaled Shaifullah Joy, J. Vanderlei Martins, Amit Misra, Leslie K. Norford, Eduardo J. Quel, Abdus Salam, Bret Schichtel, S. N. Tripathi, Chien Wang, Qiang Zhang, Michael Brauer, Mark D. Gibson, Yinon Rudich, Randall V. Martin