Characterization of Ambient Particulate Matters in an Industry-Intensive Area in Central Taiwan

Hsing-Wang Li,Ting-Yu Chen,Yung-Chang Lin,Yi-Ching Lin,Yen-Ping Peng,Ming-Hsun Lin,Chia-Hung Chen,Kang-Shin Chen,Chia-Hsiang Lai

doi:10.3390/atmos12070926

Abstract

Atmospheric particulate matters (PMs) were measured in an industry-intensive region in central Taiwan in order to investigate the characteristics and possible sources of PMs. The samplings were simultaneously conducted using a 10- and 3-stage Micro Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) from 2017 to 2018. In this study, the characteristics of PMs in this region were evaluated by measuring the mass concentration of PMs and analyzing water-soluble ions and metallic elements, as well as dioxins. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the potential sources of PMs. The results showed that the mean concentration of coarse (>1.8 μm), fine (0.1–1.8 μm), and ultrafine (<0.1 μm) particles were 13.60, 14.38, and 3.44 μg/m3, respectively. In the industry-intensive region, the size distribution of ambient particles showed a bi-modal distribution with a high concentration of coarse particles in the spring and summer, while fine particles were dominant in the autumn and winter. The most abundant water-soluble ions of PMs were NO3−, Cl−, and SO42−, while the majority of metallic elements were Na, Fe, Ca, Al, and Mg in different particle sizes. The results of Pearson’s correlation analysis for metals indicated that the particles in the collected air samples were related to the iron and steelmaking industries, coal burning, vehicle exhausts, and high-tech industries. The dioxin concentration ranged from 0.0006 to 0.0017 pg I-TEQ/Nm3. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the contribution to PMs was associated with sea salt, secondary pollutants, and industrial process.

Highlights

Air pollution is a major concern in urban areas because of its threat to human health, including asthma and acute and chronic respiratory symptoms [1]
The chemical compositions of particulate matters (PMs) include water-soluble ions, metallic elements, and organic compounds, such as dioxin, which are correlated to toxicity and health [6,7]
The PM10 concentration was measured as being from 9.26 to 42.59 μg/m3, which is close to values of the previous study in central Taiwan [21]

Summary

Introduction

Air pollution is a major concern in urban areas because of its threat to human health, including asthma and acute and chronic respiratory symptoms [1]. Epidemiological studies reported that the highest association noted was an 18% rise in asthma admissions correlated with a 10 μg/m3 increase in coarse particles on the same day of admissions [3]. The chemical compositions of PMs include water-soluble ions, metallic elements, and organic compounds, such as dioxin, which are correlated to toxicity and health [6,7]. In southern Taiwan, Tsai et al [9] reported that sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium were the major ionic species and contributed a large fraction of PM mass in different sizes. The dioxin concentration in the atmosphere could be affected by different seasons because of domestic heating, photolysis, and chemical reactions [12]. In rural Germany, PCDD/F concentrations were higher in the winter than in the summer due to domestic heating [13]

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Results

Conclusion