Sources of antimony in an urban area

Abstract

Environmental context. The global production and use of antimony (Sb) increase together with stocks and emissions, but there are gaps in our knowledge concerning environmental effects. Here, a reconstruction of major Sb flows in an urban area was conducted. The major emission source of Sb identified was wear of brake linings, although other sources may also be of importance, e.g. diffuse emission of flame-retarded goods. Abstract. The present study sets out to analyse the urban metal sources of Sb, by estimating the stock of Sb in use, and to present related flows and emissions in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2005. Antimony was studied with the main methodology of substance flow analysis with existing data, while chemical analysis was used as a complement. No large point sources were found reported to the authorities; hence, the dominating source for Sb is diffuse and originates from goods. The total Sb stock in Stockholm in 2005 was ~430 000 kg (range 110 000–1 700 000 kg) and the total Sb inflow was estimated at 45 000 kg year–1 (range 30 000–67 000 kg). The stock was dominated by flame-retarded goods, cable shielding, glass and accumulators. The Sb emission was estimated at ~720 kg year–1 (range 430–1200 kg year–1). Despite large uncertainties and missing data, the results supported the notion of the importance of brake linings as a source of Sb emissions (710 kg year–1), whereas other goods such as textiles (4.5 kg year–1), tyres (1.4 kg year–1), sinkers, ammunition and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and packaging were minor sources. However, flame-retarded goods are still poorly quantified and are seen as a potential emission source.

Indoor and Outdoor Levels and Sources of Submicron Particles (PM1) at Homes in Edmonton, Canada

“…Factor 10 was characterized by a high abundance of Sb explaining 78% of the variation. Common airborne Sb sources are crustal material, brake dust, coal combustion, , carpets and clothing treated with Sb-containing flame retardant materials (SbO 3 and Sb 2 O 5 ). − The ratio of Cu/Sb has been used to discriminate different airborne sources such as upper continental crust (64), traffic including brake dust (2.3–10.1), , coal fly ash (∼20), and carpet samples (0.18) . In this study, the ratio of Cu/Sb in indoor PM 1 samples was 0.04, suggesting an influence of resuspension of dust from flame retardant-treated carpet.…”

Tin and Antimony as Soil Pollutants along Railway Lines—A Case Study from North-Western Croatia

“…In addition, Adriano [1] reported Zn-Sn and Cd-Sn alloys as commonly used coatings in hydraulic brakes. Research by Månsson et al [112] in Stockholm, Sweden, also suggested that the main source of Sb emissions in an urban area is brake pad wear. Similarly, Clemente [3] suggested that the use of Sb as a fire retardant in brake pads emits significant amounts from vehicles into the environment.…”

Bismuth and Silver in Cosmetic Products: A Source of Environmental and Resource Concern?

“…Numerous studies have addressed the problem with increasing amounts of chemicals in consumer products (Mao and Graedel ; Månsson et al ; Odukudu et al ; Vyzinkarova and Brunner ), but there is often a considerable lack of knowledge regarding the substances used in these products. One such product group is cosmetics.…”