Exposure to ultrafine particles and black carbon at schools near a large Dutch Airport

Abstract

TPS 761: Health effects of pollution sources and components, Johan Friso Foyer, Floor 1, August 28, 2019, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Background: Recent studies have shown elevated concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFP) near airports. Aircraft emissions are characterized by a smaller particle size and relatively low levels of Black Carbon (BC) compared to other combustion sources, such as road traffic. We measured particle number concentrations (PNC), particle size distribution and BC simultaneously outside 2 schools near Schiphol Airport. Methods: We conducted continuous measurements of PNC (Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer; GRIMM-5420/L-DMA) and BC (MAAP; Thermo-5012) outside 2 schools simultaneously for 1 year (December 2017-december 2018). One school was located south of the airport and the other school North-Northeast of the airport. Schools were located at approximately 8 km distance from each other and at 2-3 km distance from the nearest runway. We analyzed hourly average concentrations of total and size-specific PNC and BC in relation to wind direction, as well as correlations between and within schools. Results: We observed 2-3 times higher total PNC levels when the schools were downwind of the airport. This elevation was most pronounced for PNC<30nm (4-fold increase) and decreased with increasing particle size. Correlations between schools were low for PNC (R 0.07) and high for BC (R 0.86). Within schools, BC was poorly correlated withtotal PNC and PNC<30nm (R 0.17-0.33). Correlations with BC increased with increasing particles size (R 0.61-0.66 for PNC>30nm and 0.75-0.77 for PNC>50nm). Conclusions: We found elevated levels of airport related PNC at schools near Schiphol airport. Variations in airport related PNC were largely independent of variations in BC. Results will be used in a panel study on short-term effects of UFP on schoolchildren