Spatial Variations in PAHs and Nitro-PAHs Bound to Total Suspended Solids in Urban Locations in Taiwan

• Published in: Aerosol and Air Quality Research Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 1 - 14
• Main Authors: Kung, Hsin-Chieh, Huang, Bo-Wun, Mutuku, Justus Kavita, Chang-Chien, Guo-Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 社團法人台灣氣膠研究學會 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Urban; PAHs; Nitro-PAHs; Sources; Diagnostic ratios; Spatial variations
• ISSN: 1680-8584; 2071-1409
• DOI: 10.4209/aaqr.230270

The concentration of 16 PAHs and 13 nitro-PAHs bound to total suspended particles were evaluated in outdoor environments in three cluster study locations in the western side of Taiwan. Samples were collected based on U.S. EPA, Method 23A, 1996 with XAD-2, GF7. Analysis was performed using a gas chromatograph tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS) Agilent 7890A GC, USA, equipped with a ZB-EPA-EU 30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.20 µm, column (Agilent, J＆W, USA), coupled to Waters Xevo TQ-S (Waters, UK). The concentrations of PAHs and nitro-PAHs bound to TSP increased southward, whereby the mean ∑TSP-bound PAHs were 723.2 pg m^(-3), 1633 pg m^(-3) and 1810 pg m^(-3), while ∑TSP-bound nitro-PAHs were 50 pg m^(-3), 107 pg m^(-3), and 209 pg m^(-3), for the study area A in Tainan, B in north Kaohsiung, and C, in south Kaohsiung, respectively. Diagnostic ratios indicate the dominance of combustion processes, especially from diesel engines, in the emission of PAHs and nitro-PAHs compared to petrogenic emissions. The improved understanding gained from this investigation provides a valuable springboard for probing the role of PAHs and nitro-PAHs in diseases of unclear etiology in urban areas.