@article{3005877,
    title = "Spatial variation of PM elemental composition between and within 20 European study areas - Results of the ESCAPE project",
    author = "Tsai, M.-Y. and Hoek, G. and Eeftens, M. and de Hoogh, K. and Beelen, R. and Beregszászi, T. and Cesaroni, G. and Cirach, M. and Cyrys, J. and De Nazelle, A. and de Vocht, F. and Ducret-Stich, R. and Eriksen, K. and Galassi, C. and Gražuleviciene, R. and Gražulevicius, T. and Grivas, G. and Gryparis, A. and Heinrich, J. and Hoffmann, B. and Iakovides, M. and Keuken, M. and Krämer, U. and Künzli, N. and Lanki, T. and Madsen, C. and Meliefste, K. and Merritt, A.-S. and Mölter, A. and Mosler, G. and Nieuwenhuijsen, M.J. and Pershagen, G. and Phuleria, H. and Quass, U. and Ranzi, A. and Schaffner, E. and Sokhi, R. and Stempfelet, M. and Stephanou, E. and Sugiri, D. and Taimisto, P. and Tewis, M. and Udvardy, O. and Wang, M. and Brunekreef, B.",
    journal = "Environment International",
    year = "2015",
    volume = "84",
    pages = "181-192",
    publisher = "Elsevier Ireland Ltd",
    issn = "0160-4120",
    doi = "10.1016/j.envint.2015.04.015",
    keywords = "Air pollution;  Energy dispersive spectroscopy;  Fluorescence;  Iron;  Nitrogen oxides;  Silicon;  Spatial distribution;  Urban growth;  X rays, Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence;  Exposure assessment;  PM-composition;  PM10;  PM2.5;  Spatial contrast, Trace elements, copper;  iron;  nickel;  nitrogen oxide;  potassium;  silicon;  sulfur;  vanadium;  zinc;  air pollutant;  particulate matter, atmospheric pollution;  particulate matter;  pollution effect;  spatial distribution;  spatial variation;  trace element;  X-ray fluorescence, air pollutant;  air pollution;  Article;  concentration (parameters);  European;  particulate matter;  priority journal;  traffic;  urban area;  X ray fluorescence;  air pollution;  analysis;  analysis of variance;  city;  environmental monitoring;  Europe;  human;  particulate matter;  procedures;  spectrometry, Europe, Air Pollutants;  Air Pollution;  Analysis of Variance;  Cities;  Environmental Monitoring;  Europe;  Humans;  Particulate Matter;  Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission",
    abstract = "An increasing number of epidemiological studies suggest that adverse health effects of air pollution may be related to particulate matter (PM) composition, particularly trace metals. However, we lack comprehensive data on the spatial distribution of these elements.We measured PM2.5 and PM10 in twenty study areas across Europe in three seasonal two-week periods over a year using Harvard impactors and standardized protocols. In each area, we selected street (ST), urban (UB) and regional background (RB) sites (totaling 20) to characterize local spatial variability. Elemental composition was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis of all PM2.5 and PM10 filters. We selected a priori eight (Cu, Fe, K, Ni, S, Si, V, Zn) well-detected elements of health interest, which also roughly represented different sources including traffic, industry, ports, and wood burning.PM elemental composition varied greatly across Europe, indicating different regional influences. Average street to urban background ratios ranged from 0.90 (V) to 1.60 (Cu) for PM2.5 and from 0.93 (V) to 2.28 (Cu) for PM10.Our selected PM elements were variably correlated with the main pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, PM2.5 absorbance, NO2 and NOx) across Europe: in general, Cu and Fe in all size fractions were highly correlated (Pearson correlations above 0.75); Si and Zn in the coarse fractions were modestly correlated (between 0.5 and 0.75); and the remaining elements in the various size fractions had lower correlations (around 0.5 or below). This variability in correlation demonstrated the distinctly different spatial distributions of most of the elements. Variability of PM10_Cu and Fe was mostly due to within-study area differences (67% and 64% of overall variance, respectively) versus between-study area and exceeded that of most other traffic-related pollutants, including NO2 and soot, signaling the importance of non-tailpipe (e.g., brake wear) emissions in PM. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd."
}