Characteristics of Respirable Particulate Metals Emitted by a Beehive Firework Display in YanShuei Area of Southern Taiwan

ABSTRACT

This study investigates metals in the PM_1.0 and PM_2.5 collected using a micro-orifice uniform deposition impactor (MOUDI) sampler in the YanShuei area of southern Taiwan during a beehive firework display. The results of sample analyses indicate that during the beehive firework display, the ratios of metal concentrations in PM_2.5 (D) to the background level (B) at leeward sampling site were 1,828 for Ba, 702 for K, 534 for Sr, 473 for Cu, 104 for Mg, 121 for Al, and 98 for Pb. The corresponding data for PM_1.0 were 3036, 838, 550, 676, 594, 190, and 126, respectively. According to the results of metal composition ratio, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and upper continental crust (UCC) analyses, the concentrations of particle-bound Al, Ba, Cu, K, Mg, Pb, and Sr increased during the beehive firework displays, suggesting that firework-display aerosols contained abundant metal elements of Al, Ba, Cu, K, Mg, Pb, and Sr. Before (background), trial, during, and after the beehive firework display, the Ba, K, Cu, Mg, Pb, and Sr (commonly regarded as firework display indicator elements) accounted for 0.520, 2.45, 26.4 and 0.849% mass of PM₁, respectively, while for PM_2.5 the corresponding data were 0.777, 2.32, 23.8, and 0.776%, respectively.