Quantifying the influence of meteorological variables on particle-bound PAHs in urban environments

AMARILLO, A.C.; CARRERAS, H.

Atmospheric Pollution Research

Elsevier

Año: 2016

Seasonal trend ofpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with PM10 particleswere assessed in an urban area in Cordoba, Argentina, during 2011-2013. Inaddition, we quantified the contribution of temperature, relative humidity, rainfall,atmospheric pressure and wind speed on total and individual PAH concentrations.Mean PAH concentrations were higher during autumn andwinter. Temperature was the meteorological parameter that affected the most totaland individual PAHs. Its influence was stronger in lightweight than in heavyPAHs, since they are more easily partitioned in the vapor phase. We found alsothat temperature has a lagged effect on PAHs concentration with the strongestassociation observed with 2-day lag temperature. Wind speed and relativehumidity were also significant predictors for both light and heavy PAHs. Despitethe fact that we observed a decreasing trend in the concentration levels ofPAHs, they are still high enough to pose a risk to human health due to chronicexposure.