A STUDY OF MANGANESE FROM ANTHROPOGENIC EMISSIONS AT A RURAL SITE IN THE EASTERN UNITED-STATES

Concentrations of Mn from soil dust and anthropogenic emissions were studied in the aerosols collected at Mayville, NY. The southwest quadrant of this rural site has numerous Mn-emitting sources. Aerosols arriving from this quadrant contained 80-90% Mn of anthropogenic origin, the remainder was soil derived. Bivariate analysis showed a good linear correlation between noncrustal Mn and Fe, indicating that anthropogenic Mn was mainly derived from the iron and steel industry. Aerosols with relatively high Mn concentrations and enrichments were also encountered during the study period. These were attributed to nonferrous industries such as silico-manganese alloy, synthetic pyrolusite and Mn chemical manufacturing plants. Comparison of concentrations, enrichment factors and ratios of the two elements, Mn and Fe, in these aerosols and in aerosols from several midwestern cities located in the vicinity of Mn-emitting sources attested to the inferences drawn above. Several Mn-emitting sources in the States of Ohio and Pennsylvania were shown to be causative for the high noncrustal Mn concentration at Mayville relative to those seen in rural aerosols from Ashland County, OH, and Shenandoah Valley, VA as well as for the relatively high ratio of noncrustal Mn/Se reported for the lower midwest signature in our earlier study. © 1990.