The influence of natural and man-made sources on PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations at industrially influenced sites

New requirements concerning air quality are arising due to a new legislation given by the European Union. An initial target value to be followed by a limit value is set for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). To enhance the state of knowledge regarding PM2.5 a sampling point applying the reference measurement method at an industrially influenced part of the town of Duisburg was operated during the year 2009. This paper reports on the question as to what extent the ambient air quality at industrially influenced sites can be further improved by technical measures at industrial plants. To exemplify this, a northern part of Duisburg was investigated. In this area two PM10 sampling points assess the ambient air quality directly adjacent to an integrated steel production site. The results especially obtained by correlating PM2.5 and PM10 values give valuable information about source origins of these two fractions of particulate matter. Meteorological conditions and transboundary transport of particles affect the local particle concentrations more significantly than industrial activities.