Quartz Fiber Filters Research Articles

Variations of the aerosol chemical composition during Asian dust storm at Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Aerosol chemical composition was characterized during the Central Asian Dust Experiment (CADEX) at Dushanbe (Tajikistan). Aerosol samples were collected during a period of 2 months from March to May 2015 using a high volume DIGITEL DHA-80 sampler on quartz fiber filters. The filters were analyzed for their ionic, trace metals as well as organic and elemental carbon (OC/EC) content. The aerosol mass showed strong variation with mass concentration ranging from 18 μg/m3 to 110 μg/m3. The mineral dust concentrations varied between 0.9 μg/m3 and 88 μg/m3. Days of high aerosol mass loadings were dominated by mineral dust, which made up to about 80% of the aerosol mass while organic matter and inorganic ions made up about 70% of the aerosol mass during days of low aerosol mass loadings. The mineral dust composition showed different trace metal signatures in comparison to Saharan dust with higher Ca content and Ca/Fe ratios twice as high as that observed in Saharan dust. Strong influence of anthropogenic activities was observed in the trace metal concentrations with Zn and Pb concentrations ranging from 7 to 197 ng/m3 and 2 to 20 ng/m3, respectively. Mineral dust and anthropogenic activities relating to traffic, combustion as well as metallurgical industrial emissions are identified as the sources of the aerosol during this period.

Review of Sunset OC/EC Instrument Measurements During the EPA's Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project.

To evaluate the feasibility of the Sunset semicontinuous organic and elemental carbon (OC/EC) monitor, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sponsored the deployment of this monitor at Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) sites with OC and EC measurements via quartz fiber filter collection in Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; St. Louis, Missouri; Rubidoux, California; and Washington, D.C. Houston, St. Louis, and Washington also had collocated Aethalometer black carbon (BC) measurements. Sunset OC generally compared well with the CSN OC (r2 = 0.73 across five sites); the Sunset/CSN OC ratio was, on average, 1.06, with a range among sites of 0.96 to 1.12. Sunset thermal EC and CSN EC did not compare as well, with an overall r2 of 0.22, in part because 26% of the hourly Sunset EC measurements were below the detection limit. Sunset optical EC had a much better correlation to CSN EC (r2 = 0.67 across all sites), with an average Sunset/CSN ratio of 0.90 (range of 0.7 to 1.08). There was also a high correlation of Sunset optical EC with Aethalometer BC (r2 = 0.77 across all sites), though with a larger bias (average Sunset/Aethalometer ratio of 0.56). When the Sunset instrument was working well, OC and OptEC data were comparable to CSN OC and EC.

Pollution characteristics, human health risk through multiple exposure pathways, and source apportionment of heavy metals in PM10 at Indo-Gangetic site

This study assesses the heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Ni, Fe, Mn, Cr, Cd, As, Co and Cu) concentrations in PM10 in Agra, India. The analysis of heavy metals was carried out by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) after digestion of quartz fiber filter paper. The annual mean concentration for PM10 was 214.61 μg m−3 and higher than WHO and NAAQS limit. The results showed mean value of heavy metals followed the order: Fe > Zn > Cr > Mn > Pb > Ni > Cu > Co > As>Cd. The carcinogenic risks of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Pb and Ni for both children and adults via dermal contact and ingestion exposure were within the acceptable level (<1 × 10−4). Co showed potential carcinogenic risk only for adults and Cr for both children and adults via inhalation. The HQ values for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb and Cd via ingestion and dermal contact exposure for both children and adults were all lower than the safe level. The HQ values for Mn, Co, Ni and As to both children and adults via inhalation and for Co to only children via ingestion exposure were higher than the safe level. The source identification was confirmed through enrichment factor (EF), cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA).

Examining the Gas-Particle Partitioning of Organophosphate Esters: How Reliable Are Air Measurements?

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) in air have been found to be captured entirely on filters of typical active air samplers and thus designated as being in the particle phase. However, this particle fraction is unexpected, especially for more volatile tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and tris(chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP). We evaluated gas-particle partitioning in indoor and outdoor air for OPEs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) using single-parameter models (Junge-Pankow, Harner-Bidleman) and poly-parameter linear free energy relationship (pp-LFER) models. We also used the pp-LFER to estimate filter-air partitioning in active air samplers. We found that all gas-particle partitioning models predicted that TCEP and TCIPP should be in the gas phase, contrary to measurements. The pp-LFER better accounted for OPE measurements than the single-parameter models, except for TCEP and TCIPP. Gas-particle partitioning of PBDEs was reasonably explained by all models. The pp-LFER for filter-air partitioning showed that gas-phase sorption to glass and especially quartz fiber filters used for active air samplers could account for up to 100% of filter capture and explain the high particle fractions reported for TCIPP, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate TDCIPP, and triphenyl phosphate TPhP, but not TCEP. The misclassification of gas-particle partitioning can result in erroneous estimates of the fraction of chemical subject to gas-phase reactions and atmospheric scavenging and, hence, atmospheric long-range transport.

Evaluation of measurements of light transmission for the determination of black carbon on filters from different station types

We compared two approaches (denoted as Virkkula” and “Drinovec” equations) for the determination of black carbon via attenuation measurements with a transmissometer OT-21 (Magee Scientific) on quartz fiber filters from different station types (urban-traffic, rural-background and remote) within the Austrian air monitoring network. First, we evaluated the entire data set to compare the performance of the models in the determination of the loading parameter k and the mass attenuation cross section σ. Then we investigate k and σ for different station types. The data set comprises 299 filters, all representative for 24 h samples collected with High-Volume-Samplers. Mass concentrations ranged from approximately 5-100 μg m−3 and covered all seasons.Both approaches give statistically indistinguishable results of k with values of 1.00*10−3 ( ±2*10−4) and 0.97*10−3 ( ±1*10−4), respectively, if the entire data set is evaluated. The “Drinovec” approach gives slightly lower values for σ than “Virkkula” with values of 32.1 m2 g−1 ( ±1.1 m2 g−1) and 35.3 m2 g−1 ( ±1.9 m2 g−1). If the data set is restricted to ATN<300 only, no statistically relevant changes are obtained for k and σ using the “Virkkula” equation. Applying the “Drinovec” equation both parameters, k and σ increase when the data set is restricted.The investigation of the different station types yields values of k statistically not different from zero, whereas σ values are different for the respective station types. Highest values of σ = 33.7 m2 g−1 ( ±1.4 m2 g−1) were observed for the remote, followed by σ = 31.8 m2 g−1 ( ±0.5 m2 g−1) for the rural-background station and lowest values of σ = 24.4 m2 g−1 ( ±0.5 m2 g−1) for the urban-traffic stations, possibly reflecting the respective aerosol type.Based on the results for k and σ using either overall values or station type specific values we performed an extensive validation, discussing the application of the transmissometer measurements for a quick, easy and non-destructive quantification of eBC on either fresh sampled or archived filters of different station types. Applying the method for stations not classified as urban, rural or remote a deviation of eBC and EC values up to 23% can be expected. If the station type is known and the respective k and σ values are used this deviation goes down to 10% or lower. This would allow users to obtain long-term time-series going back to times when no on-line instruments were existing, and to obtain these data sets for sites where no on-line instruments are installed even now.

Photocatalytic degradation of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected on TiO2 supporting quartz fibre filter

ABSTRACTCarbonaceous constituents in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are often associated with adverse health effects in humans. Although air filtration technology is widely used for preventing exposure to PM2.5, the trapped PM2.5 still has hazardous property if not treated subsequently. Thus, this study aimed to realise detoxification of PM2.5 with a photocatalytic decomposition of carbonaceous compounds in PM2.5 samples collected on a quartz fibre filter coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2). The mass of PM2.5 gradually decreased with time during the UV irradiation with a significant release of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a product. The analysis of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) using a thermal/optical carbon analyser following the IMPROVE protocol showed that carbonaceous constituents such as OC1, OC2, OC3, OC4, and EC1 fractions were successfully decomposed by UV-irradiated TiO2, whereas EC2 and EC4 fractions were inert to the photocatalysis. However, a majority of the carbon content, approximately 92% of the total carbon, was reduced by the proposed method. This shows that the photon-induced TiO2 potentially reduces the hazardous effects of PM2.5.

Assessment of in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of airborne particle‒bound potentially toxic elements collected using quartz and PTFE filter

Atmospheric particulate matters (TSP and PM2.5) were sampled using quartz fiber filters and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters, respectively. Particles deposited on the filters were characterized by a scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and an attenuated total reflection FT-IR spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR). The in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of TSP- and PM2.5-bound potentially toxic elements (PTEs) on the quartz fiber and PTFE filters with different physico-chemical properties were extracted by four kinds of in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility procedures. SEM-EDX spectra under different magnifications show the heterogeneous distribution and agglomeration of PM2.5 collected on the quartz fiber filter and PTFE filter. Results of ATR-FT-IR show different surface functional groups of PM2.5 deposited on quartz fiber and PTFE filters. 24 h was the optimal interval time for the analyses of in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of TSP-bound PTEs. The in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of TSP- and PM2.5‒bound PTEs varied greatly among four in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility procedures. The in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of TSP- and PM2.5‒bound PTEs didn't show strong dependence on the quartz fiber filters and PTFE filters with different properties. The in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility procedures have greater influence on the in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of particle-bound PTEs than the kinds of the sampling filters.

Study and Characterization of Environmental Deposition on Marble and Surrogate Substrates at a Monumental Heritage Site

In this study, the results of the field exposure activity conducted between 2014 and 2017 on the façade of the Milano cathedral (Italy) are reported. The main research aim was to characterize environmental deposition in real exposure conditions and for this purpose, both stone substrates (Candoglia marble) and surrogate substrates (quartz fibre filters) were exposed on the cathedral façade in two sites at different heights. A complete chemical characterization has been performed on quartz filters and marble substrates, i.e., quantification of the deposited aerosol particulate matter (PM) and of the main ions. On quartz filters, the carbonaceous component of deposits was also investigated, as well as the color change induced by soiling, by means of colorimetric measurements. The combined approach exploiting marble and surrogate substrates seems to be a suitable monitoring strategy, although some aspects should be taken into account. In particular, differences in the deposits composition have been highlighted mainly depending on the type of substrate. The environmental data related to atmospheric pollution in Milan for the same period have also been considered but no direct correlations were found between some atmospheric precursors and their related ions in solid deposits.

Characteristics, sources, and health risks of atmospheric PM10-bound heavy metals in a populated middle eastern city

ABSTRACTThis study reports on the characteristics, sources, and health risks of atmospheric PM10-bound heavy metals (HMs) on citizenship living in different regions of Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran were investigated during 2016–2017. A total of 84 samples were analyzed from different regions: (S1) industrial, (S2) high traffic, and (S3) residential. Blood samples were collected from people who came to the east health center of Ahvaz. High volume air samplers, equipped with quartz fiber filters (8 × 10) were utilized for sampling in this study. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was also used for HMs. Risk assessment and hazard index of these pollutants were estimated, using USEPA’s exposure parameters. Based on the results, the highest and the lowest concentration of HM were observed in industrial and residential areas. Blood’s HMs concentration for chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were 2.932, 4.199, 8.425, and 71.2 μg/dL, respectively. In conclusion, increasing exposure concentration of HMs would have a significant potential for increased cancer and risk of diseases. The results of this study show that increasing exposure concentration to HM in the studied scenarios have a significant potential for generating different health endpoints, although exposing to HMs led to generating diseases in individuals particularly in polluted and populated districts; so, environmental measures should be considered by urban air authorities to mitigate the concentration of these pollutants in ambient air.

Measuring the Organic Carbon to Organic Matter Multiplier with Thermal/Optical Carbon-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer Analyses

A thermal/optical carbon analyzer (TOA) was adapted to direct thermally-evolved gases to an electron ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS), creating a TOA-QMS. While this approach produces spectra similar to those obtained by the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), and can quantify sulfate (SO42−), nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), and organic carbon (OC) fractions from ambient particle laden quartz-fiber filters, there remains a need to further understand the composition of the organic aerosol fraction. Elemental analysis (EA) of standard organic mixtures and ambient samples demonstrates the feasibility of the TOA-QMS for measuring the ratios of oxygen-to-carbon (O/C), hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C), nitrogen-to-carbon (N/C), sulfur-to-carbon (S/C), and organic matter-to-organic carbon (OM/OC). For ambient samples from Central California, the TOA-QMS returned average ratios for O/C of 1.03 ± 0.27 and H/C of 1.95 ± 0.69, respectively. Higher H/C ratios were observed during clean air episodes, while lower ratios were observed during hazy conditions. A relatively constant level of aerosol oxidation was observed throughout the study. The average OM/OC multiplier was 2.55 ± 0.4, which is higher than the conventionally used values of 1.4 and 1.8, indicating higher contributions from biomass burning and aged aerosols.

OPTIMIZATION OF ULTRASONICATION EXTRACTION FOR DETERMINATION OF 16 POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN AIR PARTICLE

The aim of this study is to develop the quick ultrasonication extraction procedure for determination of 16 typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air particles. The determination and quantification of PAHs in air particles samples were performed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with the aid of deuterated PAH internal standards. 1ug mixture of PAHs was spiked to a quarter of quartz fiber filter and extracted with four different solvents/solvent mixtures (methanol:dichloromethane, acetone:dichloromethane; acetone:hexane; dichloromethane). Ultrasonication extraction was carried out in dark at uncontrolled and controlled ultrasonication temperature (25-28oC). The unique extraction time (20 minutes) was applied for all experiments. The results showed that high recovery rate of PAHs (82-108%) were obtained with dichloromethane (as extraction solvent) in dark at ultrasonication temperature of 25 to 28oC, while generally low recovery rate of PAHs, especially naphthalene (57%) were obtained with methanol:dichloromethane (1:1). The ultrasonication extraction method with dichloromethane showed good reproductively and repeatability with relative standard deviation of 16 PAHs below 6,14%, confirming that samples analyses were precise. Analytical results of PAHs in air particles collected in Hanoi using the developed ultrasonication extraction procedure showed that 15 out of 16 PAHs were detected, in which high molecular weight (MW) PAHs (&gt;5 rings) were abundance compared to low molecular weight PAHs (&lt; 3 rings). This developed ultrasonication extraction method is quick, easy and sufficient for determination of PAHs in air particle

Particle and VOC emission factor measurements for anthropogenic sources in West Africa

Abstract. A number of campaigns have been carried out to establish the emission factors of pollutants from fuel combustion in West Africa, as part of work package 2 (“Air Pollution and Health”) of the DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) FP7 program. Emission sources considered here include wood (hevea and iroko) and charcoal burning, charcoal making, open trash burning, and vehicle emissions, including trucks, cars, buses and two-wheeled vehicles. Emission factors of total particulate matter (TPM), elemental carbon (EC), primary organic carbon (OC) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been established. In addition, emission factor measurements were performed in combustion chambers in order to reproduce field burning conditions for a tropical hardwood (hevea), and obtain particulate emission factors by size (PM0.25, PM1, PM2.5 and PM10). Particle samples were collected on quartz fiber filters and analyzed using gravimetric method for TPM and thermal methods for EC and OC. The emission factors of 58 VOC species were determined using offline sampling on a sorbent tube. Emission factor results for two species of tropical hardwood burning of EC, OC and TPM are 0.98 ± 0.46 g kg−1 of fuel burned (g kg−1), 11.05 ± 4.55 and 41.12 ± 24.62 g kg−1, respectively. For traffic sources, the highest emission factors among particulate species are found for the two-wheeled vehicles with two-stroke engines (2.74 g kg−1 fuel for EC, 65.11 g kg−1 fuel for OC and 496 g kg−1 fuel for TPM). The largest VOC emissions are observed for two-stroke two-wheeled vehicles, which are up to 3 times higher than emissions from light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. Isoprene and monoterpenes, which are usually associated with biogenic emissions, are present in almost all anthropogenic sources investigated during this work and could be as significant as aromatic emissions in wood burning (1 g kg−1 fuel). EC is primarily emitted in the ultrafine fraction, with 77 % of the total mass being emitted as particles smaller than 0.25 µm. The particles and VOC emission factors obtained in this study are generally higher than those in the literature whose values are discussed in this paper. This study underlines the important role of in situ measurements in deriving realistic and representative emission factors.

국내 주요 산업단지 대기 중 중금속농도 분포에 관한 연구

This paper reports the results of field evaluation to determine the levels of heavy metals in major industrial complexes in Korea over a seven year period (2007~2013). The measurement of heavy metal was conducted using quartz fiber filter sampling and ICP-AES analysis. In order to validate the analytical performance of these methods, studies were also carried out to investigate data quality control (QC) parameters, such as the method detection limit (MDL), repeatability, and recovery efficiencies. The average concentrations of total suspended particulates (TSP) for the nine industrial complexes in Korea were 104~169 μg/㎥, which was higher than other industrial complexes and urban areas. The Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes were shown to be the biggest contributing sources to high TSP emission (159 μg/㎥ and 169 μg/㎥, respectively). The concentrations of heavy metals in TSP were higher in the order of Fe>Cu>Zn, Pb, Mn>Cr, Ni, As and Cd. It was observed that Fe was the highest in the Gwangyang and Pohang steel industrial complexes. The concentrations of Zn and Pb were high in Onsan, Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes, and this was attributed to the emission from the nonferrous industry. Additionally, Cr and Ni concentrations were high in the Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes due to plating industry. On the other hand, Ulsan and Onsan industrial complexes showed high Cr and Ni concentrations as a response to the emission of metal industry related to automobile. The correlation analysis revealed the high correlation between Cr and Ni in plating industry from Sihwa and Banwol industrial complexes. Adding to this, components related to coal combustion and road dust showed high correlation in Pohang and Gwangyang industrial complexes. Then Onsan and Ulsan industrial complexes showed high correlation among components related to the nonferrous metals.

Effect of particulate matter 2.5 at urban centre of Hangzhou on lung impairment in rats

To explore the effect of ambient particle matter 2.5 (PM2.5) collected in the urban center of Hangzhou on the lung injury of rats and on the activating of endoplasmic reticulum pathway. PM2.5 samples were collected on quartz fiber filters using a PM2.5 high-volume air sampler in the urban area of Hangzhou. The collected PM2.5 particles were extracted in ultrapure water and concentrated by vacuum freeze-drying. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawly (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:saline control group, low dose PM2.5 exposure group (5 mg/kg BW) and high dose PM2.5 exposure groups (25 mg/kg BW). Each group received intratracheal instillation of PM2.5, once a week for 4 weeks. Twenty-four hours after the last exposure, the rats were narcotized and sacrificed, left lung was isolated and fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde for histopathological detection. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected from the right lung. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) level, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in BALF were detected by chemical colorimetry. The level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokines in BALF was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). And the protein expressions of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), phosphorylated protein kinase receptor-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (p-PERK), phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor (p-eIF2α), transcription factors C/EBP homologue protein (CHOP), inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) and X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) in lung tissue were determined by Western blotting. Compared with control group, rats in both low dose (5 mg/kg) and high dose (25 mg/kg) PM2.5-treated groups showed obviously dose-dependent pulmonary toxicity including thickening of alveolar walls, narrowing of alveolar space, interstitial hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with control group, T-AOC level and the SOD activity in BALF in both PM2.5-treated groups were decreased dose-dependently (P<0.05), whereas the LDH activity in BALF were increased in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Exposure to PM2.5 resulted in a increasing of the release of proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in rat lung in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The levels of GRP78, p-PERK, p-eIF2α, CHOP, IRE1α and spliced XBP1 (XBP1-S) were significantly up-regulated, whereas the level of unspliced XBP1 (XBP1-U) was down-regulated in the rat lung tissue of high-dose PM2.5 treated group. The PM2.5 in the urban area of Hangzhou can significantly cause lung inflammatory injury in rats. Both oxidative stress and activation of ER stress pathways may be related to such PM2.5 inhalation-induced lung inflammatory injury.

An analysis of the dust deposition on solar photovoltaic modules

Solid particles impair the performance of the photovoltaic (PV) modules. This results in power losses which lower the efficiency of the system as well as the increases of temperature which additionally decreases the performance and lifetime. The deposited dust chemical composition, concentration and formation of a dust layer on the PV surface differ significantly in reference to time and location. In this study, an evaluation of dust deposition on the PV front cover glass during the non-heating season in one of the most polluted European cities, Kraków, was performed. The time-dependent particle deposition and its correlation to the air pollution with particulate matter were analysed. Dust deposited on several identical PV modules during variable exposure periods (from 1 day up to 1 week) and the samples of total suspended particles (TSP) on quartz fibre filters using a low volume sampler were collected during the non-heating season in the period of 5 weeks. The concentration of TSP in the study period ranged between 12.5 and 60.05 μg m−3 while the concentration of PM10 observed in the Voivodeship Inspectorate of Environmental Protection traffic station, located 1.2 km from the TSP sampler, ranged from 14 to 47 μg m−3. It was revealed that dust deposition density on a PV surface ranged from 7.5 to 42.1 mg m−2 for exposure periods of 1 day while the measured weekly dust deposition densities ranged from 25.8 to 277.0 mg m−2. The precipitation volume and its intensity as well as humidity significantly influence the deposited dust. The rate of dust accumulation reaches approximately 40 mg m−2day−1 in the no-precipitation period and it was at least two times higher than fluxes calculated on the basis of PM10 and TSP concentrations which suggest that additional forces such as electrostatic forces significantly influence dust deposition.

Measurements of gas and particle polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air at urban, rural and near-roadway sites

We measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in gas and particle phases over two years using high volume samplers equipped with quartz fiber filters and XAD-4 at a rural site, an urban site, and a site adjacent to a heavily trafficked roadway. Overall results were generally as expected, in that concentrations increased from rural to urban to near-roadway sites, and PAHs with high vapor pressures (liquid subcooled, PoL) and low octanol-air partition coefficients (Koa) were mainly in the gas phase, while those with low PoL and high Koa were predominantly in the particle phase. Intermediate PAHs existed in both phases with the phase distribution following a seasonal pattern of higher gas phase concentrations in summer due to temperature effects. The overall pattern of phase distribution was consistent with PAH properties and ambient conditions and was similar at all three sites. The particle-bound fraction (ϕ) was well-described empirically by nonlinear regressions with log Koa and log PoL as predictors. Adsorption and absorption models underestimated the particle-bound fraction for most PAHs. The dual aerosol-air/soot-air model generally represented the gas-particle partitioning better than the other models across all PAHs, but there was a tendency to underestimate the range in the particle-bound fraction seen in measurements. There was a statistically insignificant tendency for higher PAHs in the particle phase at the near roadway site, and one piece of evidence that PAHs may be enriched on ultrafine particles at the near roadway site. Understanding the phase and particle size distributions of PAHs in highly polluted, high exposure microenvironments near traffic sources will help shed light on potential health effects.

Health risk assessment on human exposed to heavy metals in the ambient air PM10 in Ahvaz, southwest Iran.

Heavy metals (HM) are one of the main components of urban air pollution. Today, megacities and industrial regions in southwest of Iran are frequently suffering from severe haze episodes, which essentially caused by PM10-bound heavy metals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health risk assessment on human exposed to heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the ambient air PM10 in Ahvaz, southwest Iran. In this study, we estimated healthy people from the following scenarios: (S3) residential site; (S2) high-traffic site; (S1) industrial site in Ahvaz metropolitan during autumn and winter. In the current study, high-volume air samplers equipped with quartz fiber filters were used to sampling and measurements of heavy metal concentration. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was utilized for detection of heavy metal concentration (ngm-3). Also, an estimate of the amount of health risk assessment (hazard index) of Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn of heavy metal exposure to participants was used. Result of this study showed that the residential and industrial areas had the lowest and the highest level of heavy metal. Based on the result of this study, average levels of heavy metal in industrial, high-traffic, and residential areas in autumn and winter were 31.48, 30.89, and 23.21μgm-3 and 42.60, 37.70, and 40.07μgm-3, respectively. Based on the result of this study, the highest and the lowest concentration of heavy metal had in the industrial and residential areas. Zn and Pb were the most abundant elements among the studied PM10-bound heavy metals, followed by Cr and Ni. The carcinogenic risks of Cr, Pb, and the integral HQ of metals in PM10 for children and adults via inhalation and dermal exposures exceeded 1 × 10-4 in three areas. Also, based on the result of this study, the values of hazard index (HI) of HM exposure in different areas were significantly higher than standard. The health risks attributed to HM should be further investigated from the perspective of the public health in metropolitans. The result of this study showed increasing exposure concentrations to heavy metal in the studied scenarios have a significant potential for generating different health endpoints, while environmental health management in ambient air can cause disorders in citizenship and causing more spiritual and material costs.

Determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines in airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from different emission sources by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A novel ultrasound assisted extraction procedure was developed prior to the determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric detection. Airborne particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 samples (n=34) were collected during the spring season from urban residential emission sites, as well as from biomass burning. The organic compounds were extracted from the quartz fiber filter by a quick ultrasound assisted methanol-based extraction. Linearity of the method was in the range 0.58ngg−1 to 50ngg−1 with correlation coefficients (R2) from 0.993 to 0.999. The limits of detection resulted to be between 0.19ngg−1 and 3.27ngg−1. The relative standard deviations varied from 5.4 to 8.5 (n=3). The recoveries ranged from 83% to 109% for all of the analytes. Concentrations of the analytes in PM2.5 were between 4.1ngm−3 (2.07ngg−1) and 240.9ngm−3 (120.5ngg−1), meanwhile in PM10, were from 23.0ngm−3 (11.4ngg−1) to 355.1ngm−3 (176.2ngg−1). The proposed methodology resulted simple, rapid and accurate for its application to the determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines in airborne particulate matter from different emission sources.

Emission of Carbonaceous Species from Biomass Burning in the Traditional Rural Cooking Stove in Bangladesh

Characterization of carbonaceous species from the particulate matters (PM) after combustion of seven commonly used biomass species, albizia tree (Albizia julibrissin), dry leaves (mahogany tree), jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus), rain tree (Samanea saman), mahogany tree (Swietenia mahogany), cow dung and mango tree (Mangifer aindica) was done. PM samples were collected on quartz fiber filters emitted from biomass burning in a typical rural cooking stove. PM loaded filters were characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM) for surface morphology, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) to determine the functional group of organic compounds. Black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) concentrations were determined with Aethalometer. A TOC analyzer was used to determine the total organic carbon (TOC) present in the biomass samples. The surface morphology was almost similar for all biomass burning PM samples. The average concentrations of BC and BrC were 5.85 ± 4.40 and 13.0 ± 8.80 μg·m&#453, respectively. The emission factors of BC and BrC were 1.08 ± 0.89 and 2.35 ± 1.67 mg·g&#451, respectively. Concentration of BC was the highest in dry leaves and the lowest in mango tree. The emission factors of the determined biomass followed the sequence-dry leaves of mahogany > albizia tree > jackfruit tree > rain tree > cow dung > mahogany tree > mango tree. PM from mango tree had lower emissions compared to the other biomass species used in this study.

Inter-Comparison of Carbon Content in PM2.5 and PM10 Collected at Five Measurement Sites in Southern Italy

A field campaign was performed simultaneously at five measurement sites, having different characteristics, to characterize the spatial distribution of the carbonaceous content in atmospheric aerosol in Southern Italy during the winter season. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were measured at urban (Naples), suburban (Lecce), coastal/marine (Lamezia Terme and Capo Granitola), and remote (Monte Curcio) locations. OC and EC mass concentrations were quantified by the thermal-optical transmission (TOT) method, in 24-h PM10 and PM2.5 samples collected on quartz fiber filters, from 25 November 2015 to 1 January 2016. The different sites showed marked differences in the average concentrations of both carbonaceous species. Typically, OC average levels (±standard deviation) were higher at the sites of Naples (12.8 ± 5.1 and 11.8 ± 4.6 μg/m3) and Lecce (10.7 ± 5.8 and 9.0 ± 4.7 μg/m3), followed by Lamezia Terme (4.3 ± 2.0 and 4.0 ± 1.9 μg/m3), Capo Granitola (2.3 ± 1.2 and 1.7 ± 1.1 μg/m3), and Monte Curcio (0.9 ± 0.3 and 0.9 ± 0.3 μg/m3) in PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. Similarly, EC average levels (±standard deviation) were higher at the urban sites of Naples (2.3 ± 1.1 and 1.8 ± 0.5 μg/m3) and Lecce (1.5 ± 0.8 and 1.4 ± 0.7 μg/m3), followed by Lamezia Terme (0.6 ± 0.3 and 0.6 ± 0.3 μg/m3), Capo Granitola (0.3 ± 0.3 and 0.3 ± 0.2 μg/m3), and Monte Curcio (0.06 ± 0.04 and 0.05 ± 0.03 μg/m3) in PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. An opposite trend was observed for the OC/EC ratios ranging from 6.4 to 15.9 in PM10 and from 6.4 to 15.5 in PM2.5 with lower values in urban sites compared to remote sites. Different OC-EC correlations, 0.36 &lt; R2 &lt; 0.90, were found in four observation sites. This behavior suggests the contributions of similar sources and common atmospheric processes in both fractions. No correlations were observed between OC and EC at the site of Naples. The average secondary organic carbon (SOC) concentrations, quantified using the minimum OC/EC ratio method, ranged from 0.4 to 7.6 μg/m3 in PM10 and from 0.4 to 7.2 μg/m3 in PM2.5, accounting from 37 to 59% of total OC in PM10 and from 40 to 57% in PM2.5 with higher percentages in the urban and suburban sites of Naples and Lecce.