Impact of phase out of leaded gasoline on the air quality in Budapest

As part of an air pollution study in Budapest, size-fractionated aerosol sa mples were collected by stacked filter units and cascade impactors, and som e criteria pollutants and meteorological parameters were recorded in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The samplings were performed at three urban locations includ ing an urban background site, a downtown site, and a tunnel. Elemental comp osition of the aerosol samples was measured by instrumental neutron activat ion analysis and/or particle-induced X-ray emission spectrometry; and black carbon (BC) was determined by a light reflectance technique. Since leaded gasoline was completely phased out in Hungary on 1 April 1999, the atmosphe ric concentrations of some typical transportation-related air pollutants (i .e. Pb, Br, BC and CO) were used for overviewing the actual impact of the p hase out on the air quality and on the aerosol characteristics. For the bac kground site, mean concentration of Pb and Br was not changed significantly . In the downtown site, the phase out resulted in a concentration decrease by a factor of 3-4 for Pb and Br. For the tunnel, concentrations of Pb and Br were decreased by a factor up to 9 and 28, respectively. Correlation bet ween the pollutants, their crustal enrichment factors, and average elementa l mass size distributions are also presented and discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.