Relationships between Outdoor and Personal Exposure of Carbonaceous Species and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) at Hong Kong

Zhan-Lan Fan; Xiao-Cui Chen; Ka-Hei Lui; Steven Sai-Hang Ho; Jun-Ji Cao; Shun-Cheng Lee; Hong Huang; Kin-Fai Ho

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2016.08.0349

Relationships between Outdoor and Personal Exposure of Carbonaceous Species and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) at Hong Kong

Zhan-Lan Fan¹, Xiao-Cui Chen¹^,7, Ka-Hei Lui¹, Steven Sai-Hang Ho², Jun-Ji Cao²^,4, Shun-Cheng Lee⁵, Hong Huang ⁶, Kin-Fai Ho ¹^,2

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¹The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
²Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, SKLLQG, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710075, China
³Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710048, China
⁴Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
⁵School of Resource, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330000, China
⁶Institute of Environment, energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Received: August 9, 2016
Revised: December 23, 2016
Accepted: January 2, 2017
Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2016.08.0349

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Cite this article:
Fan, Z.L., Chen, X.C., Lui, K.H., Ho, S.S.H., Cao, J.J., Lee, S.C., Huang, H. and Ho, K.F. (2017). Relationships between Outdoor and Personal Exposure of Carbonaceous Species and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) at Hong Kong. Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 17: 666-679. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2016.08.0349

HIGHLIGHTS

Ambient PM_2.5 was the main factor influencing personal exposures.
Higher PM_2.5 personal exposure was reported.
PAHs in personal PM_2.5 were associated with traffic and indoor sources.

ABSTRACT

Personal and ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were simultaneously collected at Hong Kong during winter in 2014. Mass concentration, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) relationships were analyzed. The correlations of personal and ambient concentrations of PM_2.5, OC, and EC indicated the ambient concentrations were the factors showing influences on the personal exposures. Personal to ambient (P/A) ratios in PM_2.5, OC, and EC were all > 1, suggesting influences between indoor sources and/or personal activities. Significant higher ambient ΣPAHs concentrations with P/A ratios were nevertheless < 1. The Σ15 U.S. EPA priority PAHs accounted for 50.6% and 70.8% of ΣPAHs in personal and ambient samples, respectively. The ratios of indicator compounds confirmed the origin of PAHs in personal PM_2.5, which were found to be associated predominantly with traffic emissions and the influence by the indoor sources.

Keywords: Personal exposure; Fine particulate matter; Carbonaceous aerosol; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons