1982 Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 96-101
Selenium and sulfur concentration ratios in snow sample, distribution, enrichment factor and size distribution of selenium in aerosol samples were investigated to study sources of selenium pollution in the atmosphere.
The analytical results showed that the average values of the snow samples were O. 13 μg/l for selenium and 1.2 mg/l for sulfur averaging the concentration ratio, Se/S to 1× 10-4. The average selenium to sulfur concentration ratio in snow samples was found to be in the same order of magnitude as those of fuel oils and rubber products. There was also a significant relationship between selenium and vanadium concentrations in the atmospheric aerosol samples. The enrichment factor of atmospheric selenium to crustal abundance varied from 530 to 2000. According to the enrichment factor of selenium, it is assumed that the crustal contribution to the atmospheric selenium levels is negligibly small. The fine to coarse ratio of selenium in the particle size distribution was much higher than that of aluminium, and the variation of selenium to sulfur ratios with increasing selenium concentration differed was large in the fine particles, leaving that in coarse particles constant. This result suggested that selenium in the fine particles was originated from chemical processes, while selenium in the coarse particles seems to be originated from mechanical process. Therefore, it must be concluded that emission sources of selenium in aerosol samples were mainly combustion processes, especially in urban air.
