[Characteristics and Sources of Elements in PM During Summer for Three Typical Cities in Pingdingshan-Suizhou-Wuhan, Central China].

This study investigates the elemental characteristics and sources of aerosol fine particulate matter (PM) samples obtained from Pingdingshan, Suizhou, and Wuhan, Central China, in June 2017. Thirteen kinds of elements (Ti, Zn, Cu, Cr, As, Pb, Fe, Ni, Se, V, Sb, Cd, and Co) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and three source identification methods-enrichment factor, principle component analysis and multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR), and backward trajectory clustering-were applied. The results showed that Zn was the highest trace element in PM in samples from Pingdingshan, Suizhou, and Wuhan, and that the concentration of As exceeded the annual limit of Chinese air quality standards (GB 3096-2012).