Abstract
ABSTRACTThe Yanshui Beehive Firework Festival is a traditional folk activity in Southern Taiwan held during the Lantern Festival, and it is the third largest folk celebration in the world. During this festival, more than 200 firecracker towers with hundreds of thousands of firecrackers are ignited, posing a risk to public health because of an abrupt increase in particulate matter concentrations within a short period. In this study, real-time variations of PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 µm), black carbon (BC), and particle number concentrations were monitored before and during the firework display to understand the effect of the firework display on the short-term air quality. The hourly average concentrations of PM2.5, BC, total particle number, and ultrafine particle number during the firework display (episode period) were 146.9 µg m–3, 2639 ng m–3, 3.37 × 104 # cm–3, and 1.18 × 104 # cm–3, respectively. These values were 6.9, 2.3, 5.9, and 3.7 times greater than those during the same period on reference days (nonepisode period), respectively. The measured ultraviolet BC (UVBC) and BC concentrations indicated that aerosols were bound with ultraviolet-absorbing organic compounds, which were abundant, during the episode period. BC aerosols during the episode originated from vehicular traffic and firecracker burning, and the absorption Angstrom exponent value was 1.4. The particle number size distribution during the episode period showed a major accumulation mode and a minor Aitken mode of 180 and 63 nm, respectively. This particle number size distribution pattern was considerably different from that in the nonepisode period. During the episode period, particle coagulation played a crucial role in removing particles in the nucleation and Aitken modes in the ambient air at high particle number concentrations.
Highlights
Epidemiological studies have consistently reported that short-term exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) can increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (Franchini and Mannucci, 2007; Pope et al, 2011; Rice et al, 2013). Dominici et al (2006) demonstrated that every 10 μg m–3 increase in PM2.5 could increase the risk of congestive heart failure by 1.3%. Pope et al (2006) showed that every 10 μg m–3 rise in PM2.5 could increase the risk of acute coronary syndrome by4.5%
Real-time variations of PM2.5, black carbon (BC), and particle number concentrations were monitored before and during the firework display to understand the effect of the firework display on the short-term air quality
The measured ultraviolet BC (UVBC) and BC concentrations indicated that aerosols were bound with ultraviolet-absorbing organic compounds, which were abundant, during the episode period
Summary
Epidemiological studies have consistently reported that short-term exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) can increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (Franchini and Mannucci, 2007; Pope et al, 2011; Rice et al, 2013). Dominici et al (2006) demonstrated that every 10 μg m–3 increase in PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm) could increase the risk of congestive heart failure by 1.3%. Pope et al (2006) showed that every 10 μg m–3 rise in PM2.5 could increase the risk of acute coronary syndrome by4.5%. Short-term air pollution during unusual episodes, such as dust storms, firework displays, and biomass burning, is a major public health hazard. Pyrotechnic displays at celebration events often considerably degrade the short-term air quality (Vecchi et al, 2008; Camilleri and Vella, 2010; Nasir and Brahmaiah, 2015). The burning of fireworks generates a large amount of gaseous pollutants and suspended particles, and the impact of fireworks on visibility and human health is evident at pyrotechnic events (Huang et al, 2012; Nasir and Brahmaiah, 2015). On the basis of a firework episode in Milan, Italy, Vecchi et al (2008) noted that pyrotechnic displays could increase the concentrations of particles in the size range 0.5 and 1.0 μm by up to 6.7 times in 1 h. On the basis of a firework episode in Milan, Italy, Vecchi et al (2008) noted that pyrotechnic displays could increase the concentrations of particles in the size range 0.5 and 1.0 μm by up to 6.7 times in 1 h. Zhang et al (2010) found that the particle concentration during the peak hour of the firework display during a Chinese New Year firework event in Shanghai, China, was approximately three times greater than that on the preceding day
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