Marker elements are elements in a source profile that are highly abundant relative to other elements.

 Marker elements are elements in a source profile that are highly abundant relative to other elements. They are often used to identify potential sources of air pollution: 

Vanadium (V): A marker element for oil-fired power plants 

Zinc (Zn): A marker element for municipal refuse incinerators 

Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cr, As, Pb, and Hg: These elements can have toxic and mutagenic impacts on human health 

Cr, Ni, Cd, Co, As, and Pb: These elements are associated with particulate matter (PM) and are carcinogenic 

Other elements and markers that can be used to identify air pollution sources include:

Organic carbon (OC)

Elemental carbon (EC)

Ions

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

N-alkanes

Hopanes

Levoglucosan

Palmitic acid (PALMIA)

Stearic acid (STEARA)

Cholesterol 

Receptor models (RMs) can be used to apportion the mass of an atmospheric pollutant at a given site to its emission sources. RMs are often used to quantify source contributions at local and regional scales.