Sources, distribution and variability of airborne trace metals in La Plata City area, Argentina

“Capsule”: Exhaust from vehicles appeared to be the major source of metal aerosols in the La Plata, Argentina region. Airborne particulate trace metals have been measured bimonthly during day and night hours in four permanent stations located in residential, industrial and commercial sectors of La Plata City region, to characterize the sources and variability of atmospheric inputs. Airborne trace metal regional averages (Pb 64±62, Cu 30±27, Mn 26±20, Zn 273±227, Fe 1183±838, Ca 5343±3614, Mg 1472±967, Cr 4.3±2.4, Ni 3.2±3.5 and Cd 0.41±0.42 ng/m 3) are comparable to the values reported for not grossly polluted cities and below the general trend described for urban particulates. Two- and three-way analysis of variance and variance components tests ( P