ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, vol.32, no.20, pp.3048-3054, 1998 (SCI-Expanded)
An extensive atmospheric sampling and analysis program has been completed in order to identify and apportion the sources of mercury associated with fine atmospheric particulate material (d(a) < 2.5 mu m). Samples of fine atmospheric particulate material were collected daily, at five remote sites in New York State, over a period of 2 years. The trace element composition of 1200 of these samples was determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. Results of both meteorological and statistical analyses of the data indicate that approximately 55% of the fine particulate mercury originated from smelters in Ontario and Quebec, and 25% originated from a mixture of regional sources in the Midwestern United States. A decline in the average measured particulate Hg concentration, beginning in February 1993, has been attributed to reduced emissions from one or more of the major Canadian smelters.