Case Studies of the Spatial Variation of Benzene and Toluene Concentrations in Parks and Adjacent Built-up Areas

The focus in the present study is the spatialvariation of anthropogenic volatile organic carbon compounds (VOC), mainly benzene and toluene, in parks and their built-up surroundings. Case studies were located in two large Scandinavian cities and measurements were made two meters aboveground level in maximum traffic periods. The results showedlarge variations in time and space but despite high pollutionlevels in the streets the air in parks and non-traffickedbuilt-up areas are substantially cleaner. The pollutantconcentration inside a large park decreased to a low level(i.e. 1/3 to 1/9 the concentration at the source) in a shortdistance (<40 m). An analysis showed that measured VOC wasassociated with fresh emissions, suggesting that the localtraffic intensity was the main governing parameter. It is,however, obvious that the spatial pattern of pollution is theresult of a combination of many different factors and variablesincluding traffic intensity, weather, local climate, land useand the character of park border.     

Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils of an Arid Urban Ecosystem

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental pollutants produced by incomplete combustion sources such as home heating, biomass burning, and vehicle emissions. PAH concentrations in soils are influenced by source inputs and environmental factors that control loss processes and soil retention. Many studies have found higher concentrations of these pollutants in soils within cities of temperate climates that have a centralized urban core. Less is known about the factors regulating PAH abundance in warm, arid urban ecosystems with low population densities but high traffic volumes. The relative importance of sources such as motor vehicle traffic load and aridland ecosystem characteristics, including temperature, silt, and soil organic matter (SOM) were explored as factors regulating PAH concentrations in soils near highways across the metropolitan area of Phoenix, AZ (USA). Highway traffic is high compared with other cities, with an average of 155,000 vehicles/day. Soils contained low but variable amounts of SOM (median 2.8?±?1.8% standard deviation). Across the city, median PAH concentrations in soil were low relative to other cities, 523?±?1,886 ??g/kg, ranging from 67 to 10,117 ??g/kg. Diagnostic ratio analyses confirmed that the source of PAHs is predominantly fuel combustion (i.e., vehicle emissions) rather than petrogenic, biogenic, or other combustion sources (coal, wood burning). However, in a multiple regression analysis including traffic characteristics and soil properties, SOM content was the variable most strongly related to PAH concentrations. Our research suggests that dryland soil characteristics play an important role in the retention of PAH compounds in soils of arid cities.     

Monitoring and Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds Around an Oil Refinery

Valle Galeria, a location in the outskirts of Rome, was selected as a case study to assess the pollution release from the industrial facilities operating in this area. For this purpose, an intensive field campaign was conducted during summer, where volatile organic compounds VOC (including benzene, toluene and xylenes) were sampled and analyzed at two different sites. A strong modulation of VOC concentrations was observed between daytime and nighttime, and alkane fraction was found to be the most abundant group, indicating the oil refinery as the major source of atmospheric hydrocarbons. Surface turbulence and upper air SODAR data were processed to investigate the relationships between meteorology and VOC levels and patterns. Atmospheric turbulence was found to be responsible for the daily modulation of VOC. In particular, the highest BTX pollution episode observed during nighttime was found to be correlated with a very strong atmospheric stability and a surface based inversion layer. The analysis of BTX ratios resulted effective in recognizing the relationship between the pollutants and their co-variance, as well as the dispersion and reaction patterns occurring during the transport across the two sites.     

The Effects of Fuel Evaporation and Biomass Burning on Toluene Concentrations in an Urban Area

Using an automated gas chromatography system coupled with an online sampling/thermal desorption module, benzene, toluene, and their alkylated derivatives were measured in Las Vegas, Nevada from 3 July to 28 August 2008. The levels of hydrocarbons were comparable to those typically found in urban environments. Statistically significant (at 95?% level) higher concentrations were measured on mid-week days as compared with those measured during weekends. This was correlated to a local traffic pattern rather than traffic on highways. The concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons also increased during periods when transport of smoke from wildfires in central and north California was identified by remote sensing but these levels were comparable to other days with volatile organic compounds concentrations. The high toluene/benzene ratios and the estimated photochemical age of air masses implied the contribution of other local sources. Fuel evaporation accounted for the vast majority of toluene enhanced concentrations in early July (as compared with those measured in June) for sites within the urban grid, but very little for sites located outside the urban area.     

Urban BTEX Spatiotemporal Exposure Assessment by Chemometric Expertise

Normative regulations on benzene in fuels and urban management strategies are expected to improve air quality. The present study deals with the application of self-organizing maps (SOMs) in order to explore the spatiotemporal variations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene levels in an urban atmosphere. Temperature, wind speed, and concentration values of these four volatile organic compounds were measured after passive sampling at 21 different sampling sites located in the city of Trieste (Italy) in the framework of a multi-year long-term monitoring program. SOM helps in defining pollution patterns and changes in the urban context, showing clear improvements for what concerns benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene concentrations in air for the 2001–2008 timeframe.     

A Comprehensive Study of Deep Catalytic Oxidation of Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Acetate, and their Mixtures over Pd/ZSM-5 Catalyst: Mutual Effects and Kinetics

Reaction behaviors and kinetics of catalytic oxidation of benzene, toluene, and ethyl acetate with feed concentrations in the range of 700–5,000 ppm over Pd/ZSM-5 catalyst were investigated. Results for single components show that ethyl acetate (T ₅₀?=?190–200°C) is more easily oxidized than benzene (T ₅₀?=?215–225°C) and toluene (T ₅₀?=?225–235°C). The conversion of ethyl acetate was increased with the increase of its feeding concentration, while the opposite behaviors were observed for benzene and toluene as their conversion rates were decreased with the increase of the inlet concentration. Different behaviors were observed in catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compound (VOC) multi-components, the presence of benzene or toluene inhibits the conversion of ethyl acetate, and the aromatic hydrocarbons inhibit each other in all cases. Ethyl acetate possesses obvious inhibitory effect on benzene oxidation, while it is interesting to note that ethyl acetate has a promotion effect on toluene conversion. The kinetic data were fitted by the Power-law and Mars–van Krevelen kinetic models. The fitting result shows that the Power-law model is more suitable for predicting the conversion of benzene than the other VOCs, and the Mars–van Krevelen model can accurately express the reaction rate of all investigated VOCs.     

Gaseous and PM10-Bound Pollutants Monitored in Three Sites with Differing Environmental Conditions in the Venice Area (Italy)

Understanding and controlling air pollution in highly populated areas is very important, although interpreting the levels of gaseous pollutants and airborne particulate matter is complicated by dominant natural and anthropogenic emissions, micro-meteorological processes, and chemical reactions which take place directly in the atmosphere. For this reason, it is very difficult to relate the characteristics of air pollution to one or more specific emission sources. The aim of this paper is to detect associations among elements and organic compounds emitted from specific sources by means of chemical analyses, statistical processing of data, seasonal evolution study, and geochemical considerations to trace their origin. A detailed characterization of air quality during the period September 2000–September 2001 was carried out in three locations of the Venice region: A heavy traffic urban site, a public park, and the island centre of the city of Venice. Twenty-eight inorganic elements, four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, CO and benzene were quantified and processed by a statistical procedure based on factor analysis considering variations on a seasonal basis. Results show the presence of associations between elements and compounds with the same behaviour in all sampling points. This indicates that several pollutants originate from a common source, and are then “diluted” throughout the study area, maintaining the imprint of their origin. Pt, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, CO and benzene originating from the exhaust gas of vehicles are all linked in the traffic factor, whereas Cd is associated with Se, having a common source in industrial processes.     

Passive and Active Sampling of Benzene in Different Urban Environments in Gothenburg, Sweden

Urban benzene concentration and personal exposure to benzene were measured within different urban environments in Gothenburg, Sweden. Three intensive monitoring campaigns were carried out in May 2000, February 2001 and May 2001. Three different environments were selected; two central built-up areas with different traffic densities (high and low) and one large urban park. The methods used included passive and active sampling. Passive sampling was used to retrieve spatial variability in urban benzene concentrations, while active sampling aimed to give data on personal exposure levels within the designated areas. The passive sampling showed large spatial and temporal variations in urban benzene concentrations. The benzene concentrations, ranging from 1.0 to 3.1 μg m^?3, were typically two to four times higher within the high-traffic built-up area compared to the adjacent urban park. This was mainly due to the proximity to motorised traffic. A comparison between personal exposure and active stationary measurements showed that the personal exposure levels were roughly 1.5 times higher in the heavy traffic area and 1.3 times higher in the light traffic area than the fixed benzene concentrations. The personal exposure levels in the park were equal to the active stationary benzene concentration. Given the large spatial heterogeneity within urban areas, the placement of single street level point measurements becomes crucial. Care must be taken to ensure that the measurements are actually representative when using these measurements to estimate urban concentrations and exposure levels.     

Air Pollutant Transport Analysis Based on Hourly Winds in the City of La Plata and Surroundings, Argentina

The city of La Plata and its surroundings are a very populated area, which has an important Industrial Pole and intense traffic activity but environmental studies have been rare so far. This article presents and discusses the importance of wind frequencies and velocities for the transport of air pollutants. The study emphasizes the importance of knowing wind patterns on an hourly basis that can be helpful for designing a monitoring network as well as for preventing exposure to pollutants. Correlation between monthly SO₂ concentrations and wind frequencies and velocities are discussed for a particular set of directions NNW–NE that carry pollutants from industrial sources toward populated areas. As a result, averaged wind frequencies have been found to be very important for determining patterns influencing pollutants transport; the influence of averaged velocities has shown low variability (hourly and monthly). Hierarchical cluster analysis applied to wind roses provided a useful approach for analyzing and describing the general daily occurrence of winds.     

A Morphometric and Compositional Approach to the Study of Ambient Aerosol in a Medium Industrial Town of Italy

Morphometric and compositional studies have been performed on both PM_10–2.5 and PM_2.5 aerosol collected in the city of Prato, Italy. Chemical analysis has been carried out using PIXE technique and factor analysis was applied for the source apportionment process. Industrial emissions, vehicular traffic as well as crustal dust and marine aerosol were the sources identified. SEM-EDS analysis has been employed to individually characterize particles collected during a week of the sampling campaign. The morphometric study, performed on 43,671 particles, revealed that, for both the fine and coarse fraction, about 2/3 of particles display a high roundness coefficient, 1/3 of them a medium value, while only a small number of particles (from silicates and organics) exhibits a low roundness coefficient. Similarly, particles with small surface area represent the greater portion in both fractions. Particles classified as organics, metals and oxides, chlorides, carbonates, phosphates, sulphates and silicates have been detected in the PM_10–2.5 while in the PM_2.5 chlorides and phosphates are lacking. Silicates are about the same percentage, by concentration number, in the coarse and fine fraction (20.7% and 20.5% respectively) showing that this material, at least one fifth of the total PM, might be the result of crustal erosion and anthropic activities. The purpose of this work has been that of providing a contribution to the study of particulate matter and took an effort for relating morphometric and compositional features of urban aerosol collected in a medium size industrial city.     

Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Kathmandu During the Winter Season

Mixing ratios of seven monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as NO₂, SO₂ and O₃, were measured by long path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) at a suburban site in Kathmandu, Nepal, during Jan.–Feb. 2003. The results showed average benzene (3.9?±?1.8 ppbv), toluene (13.3?±?7.1 ppbv), and sum of xylene isomers (42.2?±?15.7 ppbv) mixing ratios in Kathmandu. The xylenes concentrations were higher than in the large cities that have been studied. The observed ratio of toluene to benzene (2.9?±?1.8) reflected the small fraction of vehicles with catalytic converters in the Kathamndu. Analysis of the late afternoon time series of aromatics, NO _x , and wind data indicated that road traffic was one of the main sources of aromatics in the urban air. In addition, the correlations between aromatics, SO₂, NO _x , and PM₁₀ during the night strongly suggested that fossil and biomass fuel burning made an important contribution to air pollution in the Kathmandu valley. Aromatic pollution was further strengthened by daily recurring stable meteorological conditions and the surrounding topography. The chemical reaction of aromatics with free radicals during the daytime could also be deduced. High ratios of phenol/benzene and para-cresol/toluene could not be explained by chemical processes, and suggested direct emission of phenol and para-cresol in the Kathmandu atmosphere.     

Investigating the Real Air Pollution Exchange at Urban Sites Based on Time Variation of Columnar Content of the Components

As a new approach, urban air pollution was characterised by the variation of columnar content of the pollutants. Columnar content (CC) was estimated as the product of the pollutant??s mixing ratio and the mixing height. Mixing ratio data of the Metropolitan Air Quality Monitoring Network of Budapest were used, whilst mixing height was calculated by the meteorological AERMET model code. Time variation of CC refers to the real pollution exchange in the atmosphere that allows direct investigation of the emissions as well as post-emission modifications of the pollutants (such as chemical degradation or production). The diurnal urban CO cycle was found to be determined by two or three main influx peaks according to the traffic pattern of the site. The diurnal variation of NO _x level was found to be driven by traffic emission as well. Variant ratios of NO _x to CO influxes obtained for the different locations of the city range from 0.12 to 0.23, probably according to the vehicle composition of the traffic. The daily balance of photochemical production, chemical degradation and deposition of ozone yielded negative or positive depending on the location. Negative balances imply that the polluted urban atmosphere is a net ozone neutraliser source. Entrainment from the free troposphere yielded the major contributor to the diurnal ozone level at each site. The diurnal urban PM₁₀ cycle was found to be determined by traffic emission during the morning and evening rush hours whilst secondary aerosol formation around noon. In the evening, high PM₁₀ level rise was observed due to direct traffic emission as well as rapid conversion of the fine aerosol fraction to the coarse fraction.     

The Nature and Distribution of Metals in Soils of the Sydney Estuary Catchment, Australia

Total topsoil 50th percentile Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations (n?=?491) in the Sydney estuary catchment were 23 ??g?g^?1, 60 ??g?g^?1 and 108 ??g?g^?1, respectively. Nine percent, 6% and 25% of samples were above soil quality guidelines, respectively and mean enrichment was 14, 35 and 29 times above background, respectively. Soils in the south-eastern region of the catchment exhibited highest metal concentrations. The close relationship between soil metal and road network distributions and outcomes of vehicular emissions modelling, strongly suggested vehicular traffic was the primary source of metals to catchment soils. Catchment soil and road dust probably make an important contribution to contamination of the adjacent estuary. The concentration of soil metals followed the land use trend: industrial?>?urban?>?undeveloped areas. A high proportion (mean 45%, 62% and 42%, for Cu, Pb and Zn, respectively) of metals in the soils may be bioavailable.     

Physiological alterations in Clarias lazera induced by two different pollutants

The physiological effects of sublethal concentrations (0.3 of 96-hr TL.) of two different pollutants (endrin and toluene) on the levels of cholesterol, glucose and protein in serum and glycogen in liver and muscle of a freshwater fish, Clarias lazera, at time intervals from 24 to 96 hr have been compared. These results indicated that the two pollutants at sublethal concentrations influenced the metabolism of cholesterol, glucose in serum and glycogen in liver and muscle in Clarias lazera. The changes induced by endrin were more striking than those induced by toluene.     

Manganese contamination in Montreal in relation with traffic density

Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is an organic derivative of manganese used as an additive in unleaded gasoline in Canada since 1977. Moreover, Canada is the only country in the world to have authorized the replacement of lead alkyls by MMT in gasoline. The purpose of the present study is to assess the importance of air contamination by Mn in relation to other air pollutants (gaseous and particulates), meteorological variables and traffic density. The concentration of both the gaseous (O₃, CO, NO, NO₂, SO₂) and the particulate pollutants (Mn, Pb, NO^? ₃, SO^?? ₄, TSP) had been measured by the Montreal Urban Community in 1990 at seven sampling stations located in high traffic and low traffic density areas. Data on the meteorological conditions during that same period were also used. Non-parametric correlation, ANOVA and discriminant analyses were used to compare gaseous and particulate pollutants found between both levels of traffic density. In almost 50% of the daily air samples measured in 1990, the Mn concentrations are higher than the urban background level estimated at 0.04 μg m^?3 and the variations of Mn concentrations are significantly correlated in time with traffic density. Moreover, Mn and TSP discriminate the best high and low traffic density areas. No significant differences have been observed between Pb, O₃ and SO₂ concentrations in both areas. These results should not be interpreted in terms of potential health effects since it is presently impossible to determine the fate of the Mn in the environment and its importance in terms of human exposure.     

The Relationship Between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal VOC Concentrations in Homes, Offices and Schools in the Metropolitan Region of Kocaeli, Turkey

Human exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and residential indoor and outdoor VOC levels had hitherto not been investigated in Turkey. This study details investigations of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure to VOCs conducted simultaneously in 15 homes, 10 offices and 3 schools in Kocaeli during the summer of 2006 and the winter of 2006–2007. All VOC concentrations were collected by passive sampling over a 24-h period and analyzed using thermal desorption (TD) and a gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID). Fifteen target VOCs were investigated and included benzene, toluene, m/p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, cyclohexane, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, n-heptane, n-hexane, n-decane, n-nonane, n-octane and n-undecane. Toluene levels were the highest in terms of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure, followed by m/p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, benzene and n-hexane. In general, personal exposure concentrations appeared to be slightly higher than indoor air concentrations. Both personal exposure and indoor concentrations were generally markedly higher than those observed outdoors. Indoor target compound concentrations were generally more strongly correlated with outdoor concentrations in the summer than in winter. Indoor/outdoor ratios of target compounds were generally greater than unity, and ranged from 0.42 to 3.03 and 0.93 to 6.12 in the summer and winter, respectively. Factor analysis, correlation analyses, indoor/outdoor ratios, microenvironment characteristics, responses to questionnaires and time activity information suggested that industry, and smoking represent the main emission sources of the VOCs investigated. Compared with the findings of earlier studies, the level of target analytes in indoor air were higher for several target VOCs, indicating a possible trend toward increased inhalation exposure to these chemicals in residential environments.     

Ambient Vehicular Pollutants in the Urban Area of Taipei: Comparing Normal with Anomalous Vehicle Emissions

Continuous ambient monitoring data of major air pollutants such as CO, NOx and NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons) for the 1994–2001 period were analysed to establish the relationship between patterns of vehicular emitting species and vehicular emissions in the urban area of Taipei. These characteristics are consistent with measurements in London and Athens, indicating that vehicular emissions are a major contributing factor to air pollution in Taipei. Sensitivity studies relating ambient air pollution to vehicular emissions in the urban area of Taipei were performed and further examined by analysing some special events where the citys overall vehicle usage were at their extremes. Analysis of ambient measurements during the passing of Typhoon Nari shows very low levels of CO (0.3–0.4 ppmv), NOx (5–10 ppbv) and NMHC (0.01–0.05 ppmv), with no well-defined daily patterns. The measurements during Typhoon Nari were compared with measurements during the Chinese New Year and during Typhoon Herb. All analyses show distinctive low pollution periods surrounded by elevated trace gas concentrations, initiated by normal working practices. This revealed the severe impact of vehicle exhaust emissions on air pollution levels in Taipei City. Further impacts from vehicles were examined by comparing the post-Nari measurements with those before the arrival of the typhoon and comparing these data with a photochemical modelling system. It was found that as high as 15 ppmv of CO, 250 ppbv of NOx and 2.5 ppmv of NMHC were measured during the day time, with about a 50% increase in ambient vehicular pollutants in the first 2 days after the passing of Typhoon Nari. Implications for pollution related impacts on human health within Taipei are noted.     

Trace organics in septic tank effluent

This paper reviews the available information and presents the results of a study undertaken to estimate the presence and level of certain trace organics in wastewater samples collected from a septic tank in an individual household, from a lift station, and from a waste treatment lagoon near Regina, Canada. Out of 11 priority pollutants analyzed, 6 priority pollutants — chloroform, bromodichloromethane, toluene, benzene, methylene chloride and tetrachloroethylene — were detected in the samples. Benzene and bromodichloromethane were dominant. Methylene chloride and tetrachloroethylene could not be quantified at the low concentrations present. Chloroform was present in the lagoon effluent sample once at a concentration of 0.03 μg L^?1. Toluene was not present either in the septic tank effluent or in the lagoon effluent. Benzene was present in the septic tank effluent (max. value 450 μg L^?1) and in the lagoon effluent (max. value 120 μg L^?1). Bromodichloromethane was present in the septic tank effluent and lagoon effluent at concentrations lower than 1.10 μg L^?1. The trace organics in the septic tank effluent and lagoon effluent at these comparatively low concentrations may not pose any significant risk either to aquatic life or to public health, taking into account the attentuation capacity of the soil and the dilution usually available.     

Effect of Non-Vehicular Sources on Heavy Metal Concentrations of Roadside Soils

Soils along highway environments typically contain high concentrations of heavy metals because of non-point contamination sources, most commonly vehicle exhaust and wear of vehicle parts. Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Sb, Ba and Ra concentrations of soils along roadways with very low traffic volumes in a rural portion of San Patricio County, Texas, have been studied in order to distinguish the effects of a point source (an industrial waste landfill) from the effects of traffic. The highest concentrations of Zn, Cr, Sb, Ba and Ra were detected in soils along the access road to the landfill. The association of high Ba values with high Ra values suggests that the most probable sources of this contamination were oilfield waste from storage tank bottoms, which were disposed of in landfill waste pits and were also spread over roads within the landfill to decrease dust. Outside the landfill along a different roadway, a second contamination area which was characterized by very high Ba but low Sb and Ra concentrations compared to background values, has been detected. Drilling mud spill is the most probable source of this contamination. The contaminations caused by these two point sources differ from typical vehicle-sourced contamination in two ways: their areal extent was limited and contaminants were not typical for highway environments (like Ba and Ra). Like vehicular contamination, however, these areas were confined to the immediate vicinity of the roadways. Another difference is that Pb in most vehicle-contaminated areas is strongly bound to the soil constituents, mostly organic matter, whereas the point source Pb was found to be readily exchangeable and to have no association with organic matter.     

Bench Scale Evaluation of a Chemo-biochemical Process for Desulphurization of Gaseous Streams Containing Hydrogen Sulphide

Gases and suspended particulate matter are sampled and measured in situ at different sites within the city of Madrid to determinethe air pollution in the city. Lead concentrations in air are also determined. The information needed to assess levels of contaminants is obtained combining several analytical techniques,which provide real time concentration data of particles andgases. Particulate matter (PM), SO₂, CO, O₃, NO_x,NO₂, CH₄, total hydrocarbons and Pb were measured. Concentrations of pollutants are averaged over periods of hours,days, months and years. Variations of contaminant concentrationsin the last years are presented. Spatial and temporal distribution follows that of the traffic, the main source of pollution in Madrid City. Some specific measurements were carriedout to understand the influence of traffic emissions at themeasured site. Further, all measured concentrations never exceeded the European Union Directives.