PM Dimensional Characterization in an Urban Mediterranean Area: Case Studies on the Separation between Fine and Coarse Atmospheric Aerosol

Fine particulate matter (PM) is object of particular attention due to its health effects. It is currently regulated by adopting PM2.5 as an indicator to control anthropogenic combustion emissions. Therefore, it is crucial to collect aerosol samples representative of such sources, without including PM from natural sources. Thus, a clean separation between coarse and fine mode aerosol should be set. With this purpose, aerosol size mass distribution was taken in the aerodynamic diameter range from 0.5 to 10 µm. In comparison with a base scenario, characterized by local pollution sources, three case studies were considered, involving desert dust advection, sea salt advection and forest fire aerosol from a remote area. In the base scenario, PM2.5 represented a suitable fine-mode indicator, whereas it was considerably affected by coarse PM in case of desert dust and sea salt aerosol advection. Such interference was considerably reduced by setting the fine/coarse separation at 1.0 µm. Such separation underrepresented fine PM from forest fire long-range transport, nonetheless in the case studies considered, PM1 represented the best indicator of fine aerosol since less affected by coarse natural sources. The data presented clearly support the results from other studies associating the health effects of PM2.5 to PM1, rather than to PM1–2.5. Overall, there is a need to reconsider PM2.5 as an indicator of fine atmospheric aerosol.