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Temporal variability of the elemental composition in urban street dust

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Abstract

Urban Street dust is recognized as a source of urban air and runoff degradation. This paper takes a preliminary step toward a better understanding of temporal variability in street dust chemistry and of the controlling mechanisms. Street dust samples, collected over four seasons in the city of Hamilton, Canada, show a variability dependent on element and source-anthropogenic sources exhibiting the greatest temporal variability. In addition, elements attributed to common sources exhibit similar temporal patterns. The use of ‘generic’ or even one-time samples may seriously misrepresent the elemental make-up of urban street dust. Based on the samples collected in this study, a number of questions/insights are posed to further the study of street dust temporal variability.

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Vermette, S.J., Irvine, K.N. & Drake, J.J. Temporal variability of the elemental composition in urban street dust. Environ Monit Assess 18, 69–77 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394478

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