Ambient levels, emission sources and health effect of pm2.5-bound carbonaceous particles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Suradi, Hamidah and Khan, Md Firoz and Sairi, Nor Asrina and Ab Rahim, Haasyimah and Yusoff, Sumiani and Fujii, Yusuke and Qin, Kai and Bari, Md. Aynul and Othman, Murnira and Latif, Mohd Talib (2021) Ambient levels, emission sources and health effect of pm2.5-bound carbonaceous particles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Atmosphere, 12 (5). ISSN 2073-4433, DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050549.

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Abstract

With increasing interest in understanding the contribution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) to particulate air pollution in urban areas, an exploratory study was carried out to determine levels of carbonaceous aerosols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PM2.5 samples were collected using a high-volume sampler for 24 h in several areas in Kuala Lumpur during the north-easterly monsoon from January to March 2019. Samples were analyzed for water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC). Secondary organic carbon (SOC) in PM2.5 was estimated. Particle-bound PAHs were analyzed using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Average concentrations of WSOC, OC, and EC were 2.73 +/- 2.17 (range of 0.63-9.12) mu g/m(3), 6.88 +/- 4.94 (3.12-24.1) mu g/m(3), and 3.68 +/- 1.58 (1.33-6.82) mu g/m(3), respectively, with estimated average SOC of 2.33 mu g/m(3), contributing 34% to total OC. The dominance of char-EC over soot-EC suggests that PM2.5 is influenced by biomass and coal combustion sources. The average of total PAHs was 1.74 +/- 2.68 ng/m(3). Source identification methods revealed natural gas and biomass burning, and urban traffic combustion as dominant sources of PAHs in Kuala Lumpur. A deterministic health risk assessment of PAHs was conducted for several age groups, including infant, toddler, children, adolescent, and adult. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of PAH species were well below the acceptable levels recommended by the USEPA. Backward trajectory analysis revealed north-east air mass brought pollutants to the studied areas, suggesting the north-easterly monsoon as a major contributor to increased air pollution in Kuala Lumpur. Further work is needed using long-term monitoring data to understand the origin of PAHs contributing to SOA formation and to apply source-risk apportionment to better elucidate the potential risk factors posed by the various sources in urban areas in Kuala Lumpur.

Item Type: Article
Funders: Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia [FP099-2019A]
Uncontrolled Keywords: Elemental carbon; Secondary organic carbon; Health impact; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; North-easterly monsoon
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Q Science > QC Physics
Q Science > QH Natural history
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Department of Chemistry
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Office > Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences
Depositing User: Ms Zaharah Ramly
Date Deposited: 09 Jun 2022 02:16
Last Modified: 09 Jun 2022 02:16
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/34388

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