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

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. Objectives: To investigate the concentration of PAHs in the air To study the possible sources of those compounds. Specific Aims:

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

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  1. Field Evaluation of Sources of Air-Borne PAHs in the El Paso Area Wen-Yee Lee, Ph.D. University of Texas at El Paso

  2. Objectives/Specific Aims • Objectives: • To investigate the concentration of PAHs in the air • To study the possible sources of those compounds. • Specific Aims: • Analyze PAHs in gas and particulate phases • Study the spatial distribution of PAHs • Examine the impact of burning activities on air-borne PAHs concentration • Investigate the possible sources of emission

  3. 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

  4. Previous work in soil borne PAHs

  5. El Paso Soil Study

  6. Possible Source of PAHs in soil

  7. Soil Study Summery: • Heavy anthropogenic activities  higher [total PAHs] • Possible source of PAHs: • vehicle emissions • Industrial facilities • residential heating

  8. Air Study - PAHs • 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 • Sampling • Residential burning - winter vs. summer • 20 samples were collected from El Paso • 16 PAHs were analyzed.

  9. Methods

  10. Chemical Structure for 16 priority PAHs

  11. Results Concentration of Air-borne PAHs in El Paso Spatial Effect: High traffic/Low traffic Temporal effect: Winter/Summer Diagnostic Ratio: Source Identification

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

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

  14. Summer Winter

  15. Diagnostic Ratio (I)

  16. Diagnostic Ratio (II)

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

  18. Summary: PAHs: • 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. • Sources - pyrogenic • traffic/burning • The levels of air-borne PAHs in El Paso are considered high. • potential problem as the traffic situation worsened.

  19. Acknowledgements • Graduate Students: • Lynn Santiago • Roberto de la Torre-Roche • Chika Yamaguchi

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