Concentration Characteristics of Airborne Hexavalent Chromium in the Industrial Area

This paper describes the field evaluation of a sampling and analytical method for the quantity of airborne hexavalent chromium ($Cr^{6+}$) in the industrial areas, such as Sihwa and Banwol. Ambient measurements were performed by using the cellulose filter during the four seasons (October 2006 to June 2007). The determination of hexavalent chromium was carried out by ion chromatography. Performance validations, including method detection limit, relative standard deviation, and recovery percent, were also investigated. The mean concentrations of $Cr^{6+}$ in Sihwa and Banwol were 0.767 and 0.796 $ng/m^3$, respectively, which are similar to those of other foreign industrial areas. The seasonal variations of $Cr^{6+}$ levels were not quite different, which implies that the chromium was continuously emitted from the industrial sources throughout the year. The concentration variations between total chromium and $Cr^{6+}$ have also shown the similar pattern, suggesting that these components originate from the same sources. The concentration of $Cr^{6+}$ was found to be 0.7 to 2.4% of the total chromium. From these results, the approach using the cellulose filter may be suitable to collect $Cr^{6+}$ in the ambient air.

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