Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is considered to be a set of pollutants suspended in the air, from industrial processes, motor vehicle exhaust, resuspended street dust, biomass burning, and others. Among the toxic chemical compounds, PM is considered contaminants of great importance for researchers, as they offer harmful effects to humans, fauna and flora. Moreover, exposure to PM can cause the development and/or worsening of diseases, mainly respiratory and cardiovascular. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the metals concentration in total suspended particulate matter in the air through total reflection x-ray fluorescence technique (TXRF). The samples were collected from random points in five neighborhoods in the Metropolitan Region of the state of Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. TXRF measurements were performed using the benchtop TXRF spectrometer S2 PICOFOX. The results showed that the proposed methodology was able to detect the elements Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn, in concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 200 ng.m⁻³. It can be concluded that the study methodology for determining the metal concentrations in air samples is an efficient and low-cost solution for studying environmental pollution.

中文翻译：

---

全反射 X 射线荧光分析空气中悬浮颗粒物中的金属

大气颗粒物 (PM) 被认为是悬浮在空气中的一组污染物，来自工业过程、机动车尾气、重新悬浮的街​​道灰尘、生物质燃烧等。在有毒化合物中，PM 被认为是研究人员非常重要的污染物，因为它们对人类、动植物产生有害影响。此外，接触 PM 会导致疾病的发生和/或恶化，主要是呼吸系统疾病和心血管疾病。本研究的目的是通过全反射X射线荧光技术（TXRF）评估空气中总悬浮颗粒物中的金属浓度。这些样本是从巴西里约热内卢州大都市区的五个社区的随机点收集的。使用台式 TXRF 光谱仪 S2 PICOFOX 进行 TXRF 测量。结果表明，所提出的方法能够检测浓度范围为2.0至200 ng.m ^-3的Cr、Fe、Ni、Cu和Zn元素。可以得出结论，测定空气样品中金属浓度的研究方法是研究环境污染的有效且低成本的解决方案。