Atmospheric behaviors of particulate-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Beijing, China from 2004 to 2010

Abstract

Airborne particulates were collected at an urban site (site 1) from 2004 to 2010 and at a suburban site (site 2) in 2010 in Beijing. Nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and five nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) in the airborne particulates were determined by HPLC with fluorescence and chemiluminescence detection, respectively. The concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs were higher in heating season than in non-heating season at the two sites. Both the concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs decreased in the non-heating season but only the concentrations of NPAHs decreased in heating season at site 1, from 2004 to 2010. These findings suggest that source control measures implemented by the city of Beijing helped to reduce air pollution in Beijing. The concentrations of PAHs increased at site 1 in 2010, possibly because of the transport of emissions from windward other areas, such as Shanxi province. Several diagnostic ratios of PAHs and NPAHs showed that the different sources contributed to Beijing's air pollution, although coal combustion was the main source in the heating season and vehicle emission was the main source in the non-heating season. An analysis of physical parameters at Beijing showed that high wind speed can remove atmospheric PAHs and NPAHs in the heating season and that high relative humidity can remove them in the non-heating season.

Seasonal Trends of Atmospheric PAHs in Five Asian Megacities and Source Detection Using Suitable Biomarkers

“…The highest concentration of PAHs in Beijing is comparable to previous study (e.g., 116 ng m -3 ; Zhou et al, 2005). Although many of the previous studies also found higher PAHs in Beijing than in other cities of China (Liu et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2015;Yu et al, 2016), in a recent study, source control measures implemented by the city to diminish concentrations of atmospheric PAHs in Beijing (Tang et al, 2017).…”

“…Concentrations of PAHs decreased from 2003 to 2011 in response to a number of measures taken to curb air pollution in preparation for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 (Zhou et al, 2009;Ma et al, 2011. In a recent study, the yearly average concentrations of PM 10 , SO 2 and NO 2 decreased in Beijing from 2004 to 2010 (Tang et al, 2017), suggest that source control measures executed by the city had a constructive effect on the Beijing air pollution. The measures may be included switching from coal to natural gas, traffic control, restricting construction work, and relocating or closing down heavily polluting industries.…”

“…A number of studies have focused on atmospheric PAHs in developing nations such as China, India, Hong Kong, and Thailand (Chetwittayachan et al, 2002;Sun et al, 2004;Ravindra et al, 2006;Haggler et al, 2007;Liu et al, 2007;Okuda et al, 2010;Masih et al, 2012;Li et al, 2016;Pongpiachan, 2016;Wiriya et al, 2016;Yu et al, 2016;Tang et al, 2017;Zhou et al, 2017). Some studies have reported that vehicular emissions are the primary cause of PAH pollution in many Japanese cities (Chetwittayachan et al, 2002;Hayakawa, 2009;Murakami et al, 2012).…”

“…Some studies have reported that vehicular emissions are the primary cause of PAH pollution in many Japanese cities (Chetwittayachan et al, 2002;Hayakawa, 2009;Murakami et al, 2012). Beijing has instituted extensive work to monitor the quality of ambient air (Zhou et al, 2008;Zhao et al, 2011;Li et al, 2013;Sun et al, 2013;Bandowe et al, 2014;Li et al, 2016;Tang et al, 2017). In 2011, the city burned 26.3 million tons of coal, 73% of which was used for heating and power generation, and the remainder for industry (China Daily, 2012).…”

Seasonal Fluctuation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Aerosol Genotoxicity in Long-Range Transported Air Mass Observed at the Western End of Japan

“…The concentrations of PAHs in the atmosphere have been measured in various regions, including Europe and Asia [44][45][46]; some of these investigations have indicated the probability of transboundary pollution [47][48][49]. Hayakawa et al not only measured atmospheric PAHs across Japan for a long time [50][51][52], but also took measurements in foreign continents, including Africa [53][54][55]. Although some studies have compared PAHs by seasons [56][57][58], few studies have considered data over several years in combination with toxicity assays.Genotoxicity is closely related to carcinogenicity.…”