Relevance of the economic crisis in chemical PM10 changes in a semi-arid industrial environment

This paper shows the changes in PM10 levels and chemical composition in a region in southeast Spain between two periods: September 2005–August 2006 and June 2008–May 2009. PM10 levels in this arid region, with a great number of cement, ceramic and related industries, have decreased in the second period in concordance with the reduction of industrial production due to the economic crisis and the closure of a cement plant. Annual average levels of PM10 decreased from 41 μg m−3 in 2005 to 30 μg m−3 in 2008 (27%) and to 23 μg m−3 in 2009 (23%). The relative contribution of the different sources has not changed in the area in the latter period and the elements with mineral origin are the main components of the PM10 composition. There is a reduction in the concentration of the components that have soil-related industries and crustal material resuspension as their main sources, mainly in the case of CO3 2−, Ca, Sr, Tl and Pb, but the seasonal patterns were the same in both periods. As a particular case, there is an uncoupling between the seasonal evolution of SO2 and sulphates in the two study periods, which remarks the existence of a sulphate regional background that does not depend on SO2 local emissions. The decrease of V, Ni and Tl levels reflects the reduction of the industrial activity during the crisis period, affecting mainly the ceramic sector characterised by a great decrease of Tl levels.