Distribution of trace elements around Syowa Staton(I) Particulate arsenic content

Abstract

A new technique of determining nanogram amounts of arsenic in aerosols by the use of neutron activation was devised and applied to the ambient air collected in Japan, on board the FUJI on her JARE-16 voyage to Syowa Station and at the Station during the wintering 1975. Over-all chemical yield of the method was 50-70%, detection limit being 0.5 ng (±15%). The urban ambient air in Japan usually contained 5-10 ng・m^ arsenic, while the clean air in a mountainous or seaside area around 1 ng・m^ or less. The air on the ocean contained 0.3 ng・m^, on the average, while the air at Syowa Station contained only 0.07 ng・m^, ranging from 0.03 to 0.14. The great differences were considered as the reflection of arsenic contamination due to activities of mankind.