Publications
PIXE measurements of air particulate elemental composition in the urban area of Florence A streak sampler has designed to allow continuous collection of air
particulates on Nuclepore PC 0.4 µm filters for a period of one week. A time resolution
of one hour is achieved. For reliable quantitative determinations of concentrations, the
flow rate may be stabilized with a very simple feedback machanism acting on the punp. The
preset value is tipically 20 l/h and is maintained constant to better than 5% even under extreme
conditions of filter loading. PIXE measurements were performed with the 3 MeV external
proton beam at the Van de Graaff accelerator of the University of Florence. With currents of 4 nA and
measurement times of 3 to 5 min, the counting rate was sufficiently high that statistically
significant results for Na, Al, Si, S, Cl, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br and Pb were obtained to show
hourly variations. Average values for S, Pb and Br during a one-week sampling period in September 1988
were 4.3, 1.2 and 0.3 µg/m3, respectively. Comparable values in January 1989 were
12.7, 2.2 and 0.45 µg/m3 for S, Pb and Br.
P. Del Carminea, F. Lucarellia, P.A. Mandòa,
G. Moschenia, A. Pecchiolia, J.D. MacArthurb
aDipartimento di Fisica dell'Università e I.N.F.N. Firenze, Italy
bPhysics Department. Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Abstract