Assessment of recent trends in concentrations of alkyl-lead compounds in rainwater

✍ Scribed by Alan B Turnbull; Yun Wang; Roy M Harrison

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 536 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0268-2605
• DOI: 10.1002/aoc.590070717

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Concentrations of tetra‐, tri and di‐alkyl‐lead compounds in rain have been measured at rural and urban sites in England. The measurements are compared with similar data collected in the early 1980s, prior to a 72% reduction in the emission of lead from combustion of leaded petrol. Whilst concentrations of inorganic lead have fallen broadly in line with emissions of automotive lead, alkyl‐lead concentrations in rain have fallen by only 50% or less, and thus the ratio of alkyl‐lead to inorganic lead in rain has increased appreciably. The reason for this phenomenon is unclear. The data suggest that lead in rainwater would fall to approximately 2 μg dm^−3^ if automotive lead emissions fell to zero.