Variability of intra-urban exposure to particulate matter and CO from Asian-type community pollution sources
Journal
Atmospheric Environment
Journal Volume
83
Pages
6-13
Date Issued
2014
Abstract
Asian residential communities are usually dotted with various spot pollution sources (SPS), such as restaurants, temples, and home factories, with traffic arteries passing through, resulting in higher intra-urban pollution variability compared with their western counterparts. Thus, it is important to characterize spatial variability of pollutant levels in order to assess accurately residents' exposures in their communities. The objectives of this study are to assess the actual pollutant levels and variability within an Asian urban area and to evaluate the influence of vehicle emission and various SPS on the exposure levels within communities. Real-time monitoring was conducted for a total of 123 locations for particulate matter (PM) and CO in Taipei metropolitan, Taiwan. The mean concentrations for PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and CO are 29.8±22.7, 36.0±25.5, 61.9±35.0μgm-3 and 4.0±2.5ppm, respectively. The mean values of PM1/PM2.5 and PM2.5/PM10 are 0.80±0.10 and 0.57±0.15, respectively. PM and CO levels at locations near SPS could be increased by 3.5-4.9 times compared with those at background locations. Regression results show that restaurants contribute significantly 6.18, 6.33, 7.27μgm-3, and 1.64ppm to community PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and CO levels, respectively; while the contribution from temples are 13.2, 15.1, and 17.2μgm-3 for PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. Additionally, construction sites elevate nearby PM10 levels by 14.2μgm-3. At bus stops and intersections, vehicle emissions increased PM1 and PM2.5 levels by 5μgm-3. These results demonstrate significant contribution of community sources to air pollution, and thus the importance of assessing intra-community variability in Asian cities for air pollution and health studies. The methodology used is applicable to other Asian countries with similar features. © 2013 The Authors.
Subjects
Aerosol size distribution; Asian cooking emission; Community air pollution; Temple emission; Traffic emission
SDGs
Other Subjects
Atmospherics; Earth atmosphere; Aerosol size distributions; Construction sites; Mean concentrations; Pollution variabilities; Real time monitoring; Residential communities; Spatial variability; Traffic emissions; Air pollution; carbon dioxide; aerosol; atmospheric pollution; carbon monoxide; concentration (composition); particulate matter; pollutant source; pollution exposure; spatial variation; urban area; air pollutant; article; carbon footprint; catering service; environmental exposure; exhaust gas; particle size; particulate matter; priority journal; Taiwan; urban area; Asia
Type
journal article