Elemental Concentrations of Atmospheric Aerosols and the Soil Samples on the Selected Playgrounds in Istanbul

Abstract

Considering the most of their time is in playgrounds, children are under a significant health risk in urban areas due to the exposure of high air pollution In this study, 3 different playgrounds are chosen according to their locations; one is in the city where there is highly traffic jam, the other is on the coast line of Istanbul Bosphorus, and the last one is near a high way In these playgrounds, concentrations of particulate matter (PM) fractions (PM25 and PM10) were determined in the specified periods. The elemental composition of PM were determined by measuring the concentrations of Al, K, Na, Mg, Ca, Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, Zn, Co, Ni, and V using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. The correlation matrices are also developed in order to determine the relation between trace metal concentrations. The elemental concentrations and PM results showed variations between the selected playgrounds.