CANADIAN AND US SOURCES IMPACTING THE MERCURY LEVELS IN FINE ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE MATERIAL ACROSS NEW-YORK-STATE

An extensive atmospheric sampling and analysis program has been comple ted in order to identify and apportion the sources of mercury associat ed with fine atmospheric particulate material (d(a) < 2.5 mu m). Sampl es of fine atmospheric particulate material were collected daily, at f ive remote sites in New York State, over a period of 2 years. The trac e element composition of 1200 of these samples was determined by Instr umental Neutron Activation Analysis. Results of both meteorological an d statistical analyses of the data indicate that approximately 55% of the fine particulate mercury originated from smelters in Ontario and Q uebec, and 25% originated from a mixture of regional sources in the Mi dwestern United States. A decline in the average measured particulate Hg concentration, beginning in February 1993, has been attributed to r educed emissions from one or more of the major Canadian smelters.