Chemical composition and mass closure of ambient particulate matter at a crossroads and a highway in Katowice, Poland

The concentration, chemical composition, and mass closure of various fractions of ambient particulate matter (PM) were analyzed at crossroads and at a highway in Katowice (Poland). It was shown that at both sites organic carbon can constitute even 57% of the fine PM mass, about 20% of the fine PM mass can originate from the photochemical transformations of inorganic gaseous precursors, and that the coarse PM was mainly the organic matter (up to 39%) and crustal matter (up to 24%). Traffic emissions in Katowice can affect the formation of secondary aerosol (organic and inorganic), the contributions to PM and ambient concentrations of soil matter, NaCl, and trace elements. At the highway, the greatest impact on the concentrations and chemical composition of fine particles was probably due to exhaust emissions. At the crossroads, in the center of the city, the non-exhaust traffic emissions probably affected the coarse PM.