Environmental Impact Assessment and Source Identification of Total Suspended Particulate Matter and Some Elements Emitted from a Workplaces in Jordan

The objective of the present study was to assess the extent and severity of atmospheric particulate concentrations and metal concentration in dust, street dust and soil in the Aqaba Industrial Estate (AIE). Samples of dust, street dust and soil were analyzed for their contents of atmospheric particulate matter and elements (Fe, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn and Cr) after digestion with nitric acid. This study shows that analyzed major sources and magnitude of elements pollution. The mean concentrations of the elements were as follows: CFe > CPb > CZn > CCr > CMn > CCu and CCd where C stands for concentration. Zn, Cd and Pb were in high levels in the area close to the workplace, while the chromium level was low. This study indicates that all of the elements are concentrated on the surface soil, and decreased in the lower part of the soil, this due to reflect their mobility and physical properties of soil and its alkaline pH values. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of elements in the dust, street dust and soil were too low to yield any known environmental health effects. The use of factor analysis is determined three groups of elements that differ in their distribution. The first of these components is polluted soil, which occurs distributed inside the study area. The second is the unpolluted soil, which occurs mostly in the study. The third factor represents the physicochemical sources of the variability, and this factor is not significant.