The metal content of airborne particles in Edinburgh: application to epidemiological research

Abstract

Metals are putative causative agents in the association between ill health and exposure to airborne particles. We present preliminary results from an epidemiological study using exposure metrics of metal contained in PM10, PM2.5 and black smoke. A 1 yr monitoring and analysis campaign has been completed for 11 metals at 24 h sampling resolution. Empirical models of environmental determinants of metal concentration have been used to retrospectively extrapolate the pollutant time series. We are currently evaluating whether the use of metal concentration explains more of the variance in the population exposure–response relationship compared with the use of particle mass concentration alone.