Long-term decrease of cadmium concentrations in the Canadian Arctic air

[1] Average cadmium concentrations in the air (particulate samples) at two Canadian Arctic sites, Resolute (74.7degreesN, 95.0degreesW) and Coral Harbor (64.2degreesN, 83.3degreesW) declined from about 0.2 ng m(-3) to about 0.05 ng m(-3) between the early 1970s and 2000. Cadmium concentrations in the air at southern Canada sites were much higher (0.05-1.12 ng m(-3)) than those measured in the Arctic. The concentrations of cadmium measured at all sites decreased by a factor of three to seven between 1973 and 2000. This decrease correlates with the reduction in anthropogenic emissions from the production of non-ferrous metals following the introduction of emission control technologies.