COLLECTION, MEASUREMENT, AND ANALYSIS OF AIRBORNE MAGNETIC PARTICULATES FROM POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Magnetic particulates in the environment, collected from surfaces and directly from the atmosphere, are reported. A significant percentage of magnetic material in many air-borne samples; consists of spherical magnetite from coal-burning utilities and from iron/steel manufacturing with particle diameters 2-10 mum which correspond to average coercive fields of approximately 100 Oe and remanence to saturation ratios of approximately 0.1. The amount of air-borne magnetic material that settles to the ground varies inversely with distance from its source.