Aerosol sampling was performed at ten sites distributed in different location of Rio de Janeiro city, from September/2003 to Sepetember/2004, on a weekly basis with 24 h sampling time interval. PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 aerosol particles were sampled using Stacked Filter Units (SFU). Aerosol mass, black carbon, water soluble ions concentration as well as total aluminum, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium and titanium concentration were determined. Mean annual PM10 mass concentration ranged from 18 to 38 µg m-3, without violation of the Brazilian air quality standards. For fine and coarse modes, between 70 and 90% of the measured mass was apportioned to relatively few sources, soil dust accounts for 37-63% of the coarse mode mass. On the other hand, black carbon and secondary aerosol, related to anthropogenic sources as fuel burning, represents very high proportions (45-58%) of the PM2.5 mass.
Brazil; air pollution; aerosol; source apportionment
