Seasonal variability of large-sized particulate matter concentrations

Human exposure to particulate matter (PM) is of great scientific interest due to its impact on both human health and the environment (climate change, reduced visibility, deterioration of archaeological sites, etc.). The aim of the current paper was to study the concentration of large-sized particulate matter (PM10) in relation to the season of the year. Measurements were performed with the help of a personal Button Sampler in three repeated cycles, namely summer, autumn, and winter, in order to obtain comparable results from three different seasons of the year. A total of 45 samples were collected, 27 of which were obtained from a peri-urban Pinus brutia forest and 18 from an adjacent urban area (9 and 6 samples in each repeated sampling cycle, respectively). Results obtained from both sampling areas show a significant increase in PM10 levels during the summer (8.86 mg m−3/24 h) in comparison with the autumn and winter concentrations (3.71 mg m−3/24 h and 4.12 mg m−3/24 h, respectively)