The study of TSP, PM 2:5±10 and PM 2:5 during Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake in the trac site of central Taiwan, Taichung Guor-Cheng Fang a, * , Cheng-Nan Chang b , Nai-Phon Wang c , Yuh-Shen Wu a , Vicky Wang d , Peter Pi-Cheng Fu e , Chii-Dong Cheng b , Shun-Chin Chen b , Don-Yee Lin a a Air Toxic and Environmental Analysis Laboratory, Hungkuang Institute of Technology, Sha-Lu, Taichung 433, Taiwan b Department of Environmental Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan c Department of Health Care Administration, Hungkuang Institute of Technology, Sha-Lu, Taichung 433, Taiwan d Oce of Secretary, Chief Secretary, Hungkuang Institute of Technology, Sha-Lu, Taichung 433, Taiwan e Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jeerson, Arkansas 72079, USA Received 12 January 2000; accepted 10 February 2000 Abstract Ambient particle concentration was taken on the trac sampling site over the Chung-Chi Road over bridge (CCROB) in front of Hungkuang Institute of Technology (HKIT). The sampling time was from August 1999 to December 1999. During the sampling period, Taiwan's biggest earthquake in more than a century registered 7.3 on the Richter scale (Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake). Besides, there were more than 20,000 aftershocks that followed the Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake within three months. Thus, the PM 2:5 , PM 2:5±10 particle concentrations were also collected then and compared with total suspended particle (TSP) in this study. The average PM 2:5±10 , PM 2:5 and TSP concentrations are 24.6, 58.0 and 106 lg/m 3 , respectively, after the Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake. The average TSP concentrations before and after Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake were 70 and 127 lg/m 3 , respectively. It is clearly shown that the average con- centration of TSP after Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake was about 1.8 times as that of TSP concentration before Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake in the trac site of central Taiwan. And the ratios of PM 2:5 /PM 2:5±10 , PM 2:5 /PM 10 and PM 2:5 /TSP are 2.2%, 67.2%, 38.9%, respectively. The results also indicated about Chi-Chi ®ne particle concentration (PM 2:5 ) and the TSP increases in the trac site of central Taiwan after Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake. Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: PM 2:5 ; PM 2:5±10 ; TSP; Earthquake; Particulate matter 1. Introduction Ambient aerosol particles cover a size range from a few nanometers up to several tens of micrometers in diameter. Ultra®ne particle with diameters less than 0.1 lm originate mainly from gas-to-particle conversion or combustion processes. These ultra®ne particles coagulate rapidly depending on their concentration and thermodynamic conditions forming larger particles attributed to the accumulation mode which ranges from 0.1 up to 1.0 lm (Tuch et al., 2000). Secondary aerosol, sea spray exhaust from diesel engine combustion, pho- tochemical production, exhaust from power plants, and incomplete combustion exhaust from vehicles are the major air pollution sources in Central Taiwan (Chen et al., 1998). Recent epidemiological studies have shown that suspended particulate matter and lung function Chemosphere 41 (2000) 1727±1731 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +886-4-631-8652 ext. 230; fax: +886-4-350-2102. E-mail address: gcfang@sunrise.hkc.edu.tw (G.-C. Fang). 0045-6535/00/$ - see front matter Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 0 4 5 - 6 5 3 5 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 0 5 5 - 2