Source, temporal variation and health risk of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from urban traffic in harbin, China

Lichun Xuan; Yuenan Ma; Yanfeng Xing; Qingqing Meng; Jie Song; Taihan Chen; Hao Wang; Pengjie Wang; Yufan Zhang; Peng Gao

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116074

Source, temporal variation and health risk of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from urban traffic in harbin, China

Environ Pollut. 2021 Feb 1:270:116074. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116074. Epub 2020 Nov 12.

Authors

Lichun Xuan¹, Yuenan Ma¹, Yanfeng Xing², Qingqing Meng², Jie Song³, Taihan Chen⁴, Hao Wang⁴, Pengjie Wang², Yufan Zhang², Peng Gao⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, 150080, PR China.
² Heilongjiang Province Environmental Monitoring Center, Harbin, 150090, PR China.
³ School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, PR China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, PR China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Climate Environment and Air Quality Change in the Pearl River Estuary, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, PR China. Electronic address: gaopeng8@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33221086
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116074

Abstract

The main of this work investigated the levels, emission sources, and associated health risks of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) closed urban traffic trunk from June 2017 to November 2018. The seasonal variation trend for total VOCs (TVOCs) concentrations was autumn > winter > summer > spring. During the daily fluctuations in summer, the TVOC concentrations appeared to be the highest at midnight and the lowest at 14:00. In spring, autumn, and winter, the concentrations of TVOCs reached the highest levels at 06:00 and dropped to the lowest levels at 14:00 to 15:00; then, the levels increased after 20:00. Aromatics were the most important types of ambient VOCs for the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) source analysis indicated that the traffic emission accounted for 28.9% of TVOCs, followed by combustion (24.7%), industrial (21.3%), gasoline volatilization (12.4%), and solvent (11.7%) sources. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks via inhalation exposure to the selected 10 toxic VOCs may be of more concern for residents nearby traffic trunk in Harbin in autumn.

Keywords: Health risk; Ozone forming potential; PMF source Apportionment; Traffic trunk; VOCs; Vehicle exhaust.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
China
Environmental Monitoring
Vehicle Emissions / analysis
Volatile Organic Compounds* / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Vehicle Emissions
Volatile Organic Compounds