Abstract
BackgroundBraddock, Pennsylvania is home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works (ETSW), one of the few remaining active steel mills in the Pittsburgh region. An economically distressed area, Braddock exceeds average annual (>15 μg/m3) and daily (>35 μg/m3) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM2.5).MethodsA mobile air monitoring study was designed and implemented in morning and afternoon hours in the summer and winter (2010–2011) to explore the within-neighborhood spatial and temporal (within-day and between-day) variability in PM2.5 and PM10.ResultsBoth pollutants displayed spatial variation between stops, and substantial temporal variation within and across study days. For summer morning sampling runs, site-specific mean PM2.5 ranged from 30.0 (SD = 3.3) to 55.1 (SD = 13.0) μg/m3. Mean PM10 ranged from 30.4 (SD = 2.5) to 69.7 (SD = 51.2) μg/m3, respectively. During summer months, afternoon concentrations were significantly lower than morning for both PM2.5 and PM10, potentially owing to morning subsidence inversions. Winter concentrations were lower than summer, on average, and showed lesser diurnal variation. Temperature, wind speed, and wind direction predicted significant variability in PM2.5 and PM10 in multiple linear regression models.ConclusionsData reveals significant morning versus afternoon variability and spatial variability in both PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations within Braddock. Information obtained on peak concentration periods, and the combined effects of industry, traffic, and elevation in this region informed the design of a larger stationary monitoring network.
Highlights
Braddock, Pennsylvania is home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works (ETSW), one of the few remaining active steel mills in the Pittsburgh region
An economically distressed area with high rates of childhood asthma [5], Braddock is home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works (ETSW), one of the few remaining operational steel mills owned by U.S Steel in the Pittsburgh area
During summer morning sampling hours, our overall mean PM2.5 concentration was 46.2 μg/m3 (SD = 35.7 μg/m3), approximately twice the average concentration measured at nearby Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) stationary monitors during the same period (Figure 7)
Summary
Pennsylvania is home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works (ETSW), one of the few remaining active steel mills in the Pittsburgh region. Braddock exceeds average annual (>15 μg/m3) and daily (>35 μg/m3) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM2.5). A few traditionally industrial communities remain; Braddock, PA, located east of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River, is one such example. An economically distressed area with high rates of childhood asthma [5], Braddock is home to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works (ETSW), one of the few remaining operational steel mills owned by U.S Steel in the Pittsburgh area. With the decline of steel industry in the early 1980s, Braddock and similar communities lost most of their economic base through layoffs, plant shutdowns, strikes, and workforce reductions [6]. The hilly terrain of the “Mon Valley” region makes measuring the spatial aspect of air pollution important in Braddock
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