Size-segregated emissions and metal content of vehicle-emitted particles as a function of mileage: Implications to population exposure

It was found that vehicle mileage, age and the respective emissions class have almost no effect on the size distribution of the exhaust gas particulate released into the environment; about half of the examined vehicles with low mileage were found to release particles of aerodynamic diameter above 10 μm. The exhaust gas particulate detected in the EGS of all cars can be classified into three major size classes: (1) 0.1-5 µm - soot and ash particles, metals (Au, Pt, Pd, Ir); (2) 10-30 µm - metal (Cr, Fe, Cu, Zr, Ni) and ash particles; (3) 400-1,000 µm - metal (Fe, Cr, Pb) and ash particles. Newer vehicles with low mileage are substantial sources of soot and metal particles with median diameter of 200 nm with a higher surface area (up to 89,871.16 cm2/cm3). These tend to deposit in the lower part of the human respiratory tract.