Studies of climate forcing by anthropogenic aerosols require knowledge of t
he number and properties of the emitted primary aerosol particles. Previous
measurements, often limited by instrumental techniques, did not extend far
into the nanometer range and considered mod ern sources with air pollution
controls. In the summer of 1996, aerosol size distributions were measured
between 3 and 700 nm particle dia meter in the exhaust of a low-technology
coal-fired heating plant in Leipzig (Germany) using a twin differential mob
ility particle sizer (TDMPS) system. The total number concentration of part
icles in the exhaust was approximately 10(7) particles/cm(3), which is an o
rder of magnitude lower than a previously published calculation based on a
nucleation/condensation model. An estimate for the number concentration of
primary combustion aerosol particles demonstrates the potential importance
of such anthropogenic sources.