Field Evaluation of Sources of Air-Borne PAHs in the El Paso Area

WEN-YEE LEE, PH.D.UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO

Objectives/Specific Aims

1. Objectives:

a) To investigate the concentration of PAHs in the air

b) To study the possible sources of those compounds.

2. Specific Aims:

a) Analyze PAHs in gas and particulate phases

b) Study the spatial distribution of PAHs

c) Examine the impact of burning activities on air-borne

PAHs concentration

d) Investigate the possible sources of emission

Hypothesis

• Air-borne PAHs are traffic related• High traffic sites/Low traffic sites

• Burning activities in the winter contribute to Air-borne PAH pollution in the area• Winter/Summer sampling

Previous work in soil borne PAHs

El Paso Soil Study

Possible Source of PAHs in soil

Soil Study Summery:

1. Heavy anthropogenic activities higher [total PAHs]

2. Possible source of PAHs: • vehicle emissions

• Industrial facilities

• residential heating

7

Air Study - PAHs

1. Site Selection: high vs. low traffic

• The heavy traffic sites were those that were

within two miles from traffic that exceeded

100,000 cars per day

2. Sampling

• Residential burning - winter vs. summer

3. 20 samples were collected from El Paso

4. 16 PAHs were analyzed.

8

Methods

11

Chemical Structure for 16 priority PAHs

Results

1. Concentration of Air-borne PAHs in El Paso

2. Spatial Effect: High traffic/Low traffic

3. Temporal effect: Winter/Summer

4. Diagnostic Ratio: Source Identification

Concentrations (ng/m3) of air-borne PAHs in summer

PAH Min Max Mean STDEV OccurrenceShort-term

ESL

NAP 0.2 126.0 9.1 28.5 100 440,000

ACE nd 0.5 2.0 1.0 100 1,000

ACY 0.2 32.4 0.5 7.4 79 1,000

FLU 0.4 21.3 2.0 4.7 100 10,000

PHE 0.2 33.0 2.6 7.4 100 500

ANT 0.5 2.0 0.8 0.5 100 500

FTH 0.0 3.8 0.5 0.9 100 500

PYR 0.5 4.9 1.6 1.1 100 500

BaA 0.4 4.8 1.5 1.0 100 500

CHR nd 4.5 0.8 1.0 79 500

BbF 0.5 864.7 61.8 205.2 100 500

BkF 0.0 168.8 12.2 40.1 100 500

BaP 0.5 409.3 29.1 96.0 100 30

IcdP nd 2.8 0.8 0.6 89 500

DahA nd 3.9 0.9 1.2 74 500

BghiP nd 1.6 0.4 0.4 89 500

∑7carcPAHs 3.7 1344.8 107.2

∑16 PAH 6.8 1357.9126.8

(26.5*)

Concentrations (ng/m3)of air-borne PAHs in Winter

PAH Min Max Mean STDEV OccurrenceShort-term

ESL

NAP 0.3 1392.3 99.8 322.8 100 440,000

ACE nd 19.1 2.0 3.0 84 1,000

ACY 0.2 13.7 1.3 4.4 100 1,000

FLU 0.2 9.3 1.5 2.0 100 10,000

PHE 0.2 43.1 3.5 9.6 100 500

ANT 0.2 39.6 3.1 8.9 100 500

FTH nd 3.4 0.7 0.7 95 500

PYR 0.6 9.4 4.9 1.4 100 500

BaA 0.2 3.9 1.3 1.0 100 500

CHR nd 3.5 0.7 0.9 74 500

BbF 0.5 993.2 56.3 227.3 100 500

BkF 0.0 3.2 0.5 0.7 100 500

BaP 0.6 391.7 23.2 89.3 100 30

IcdP nd 1.2 0.5 0.2 95 500

DahA nd 5.2 0.8 1.4 68 500

BghiP nd 1.5 0.4 0.3 84 500

∑7carcPAHs 2.2 1402.0 83.2

∑16 PAH 9.6 2933.3200.4

(127.9*) 

15

Summer

Winter

16

Diagnostic Ratio (I)

17

18

Diagnostic Ratio (II)

Total PAH concentrations (ng/m3)in cities around the world

Location Total PAHs Survey Year

Sevilla, Spain 8.6 2000-2001Zaragoza, Spain 5.6 1999-2001Canarias, Spain 7.8 1999-2000Barcelona, Spain 82.8 1993Naples, Italy 47.7 1996-1997Rome, Italy 21.2 1994Athens, Greece 3.0 2000Paris, France 357.0 1999-2000Munich, Germany 3.5 1996-1998London, United Kingdom 825.0 1991-1992Tianjin, China - Rural 739 2006Tianjin, China - Urban 2,142 2006Guangzhou, South China 337 2005Central Taiwan 1,842.1 2003La Plata, Argentina 13.2 2004Leipzig, Germany 3.6 2004Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 56.8 2005El Paso, Tx: Summer 127.4 2007El Paso, TX: Winter 200.9 2007 19

Summary:

PAHs:a) everywhere.

• Occurrence ranging from 68 % (DahA) to 100% (for 11 PAHs)

• Only 3 samples were found to have exceeded TECQ short term ESLs for BkF and BaP.

b) Sources - pyrogenic • traffic/burning

c) The levels of air-borne PAHs in El Paso are considered high.• potential problem as the traffic situation worsened.

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Acknowledgements

Graduate Students:

• Lynn Santiago

• Roberto de la Torre-Roche

• Chika Yamaguchi