Concentration, Origin and Health Hazard from Fine Particle-Bound PAH at Three Characteristic Sites in Southern Poland

Suspended particles with the aerodynamic diameters not greater than 2.5 μm (PM(2.5)) and 1 μm (PM(1), sub-fraction of PM(2.5)) were sampled at three sites: an urban background site, rural background site, and urban traffic site in southern Poland. In total, there were 240 samples taken within 02.08.2009–27.12.2010. Fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were determined in each dust fraction. The averages of the concentration of total PAH (ΣPAH) and of particular PAH, as well as the share of carcinogenic PAH in total PAH (ΣPAH(carc)/ΣPAH), carcinogenic equivalent, mutagenic equivalent, and TCDD-toxic equivalent appeared high compared to other areas in the world. Their high values express the significance of health hazard from PM and PM-bound PAH in southern Poland. The diagnostic ratios suggest that PM-bound PAH originate from municipal (PM(1−2.5)) and vehicular (PM(1)) combustion

Long-term eBC measurements with the use of MAAP in the polluted urban atmosphere (Poland)

In recent years, black carbon (BC) has been gaining more attention due to the diversity of anthropogenic sources and the harmful effects on human health, environment, and climate. In this paper, for the first time in Poland, the results of long-term measurements of eBC concentrations (2009–2020) at the urban background station in Zabrze (southern Poland) are presented. A Multi-Angle Absorption Photometer (MAAP) was used, which enables the measurement of eBC concentration in fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The mean concentration of eBC over the 11-year period (3.82 g m3) was higher compared to the values recorded at most European urban stations. Annual averaged eBC levels showed a downward trend and clear seasonal variations, which was caused mainly by changes in the intensity of anthropogenic emissions. The impact of meteorological parameters, in particular air temperature and wind speed, which determine the intensity of emissions and the conditions of pollutant dispersion, was not without significance. The work additionally attempts to assess the possible impact of remedial actions carried out in Zabrze over the last decade. The results showed that modernization in industry and heating and maintenance of green areas potentially had the most important impact on the decline in eBC concentrations

Number Size Distribution of Ambient Particles in a Typical Urban Site: The First Polish Assessment Based on Long-Term (9 Months) Measurements

This work presents results from the long-term measurements of particle number carried out at an urban background station in Zabrze, Poland. Ambient particles with aerodynamic diameters of between 28 nm and 10 μm were investigated by means of a DEKATI thirteen-stage electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI). The particle number-size distribution was bimodal, whilst its density function had the local maxima in the aerodynamic diameter intervals 0.056–0.095 μm and 0.157–0.263 μm. The average particle number in winter was nearly twice as high as in summer. The greatest number concentrations in winter were those of the particles with diameters of between 0.617 and 2.41 μm, that is, the anthropogenic particles from fossil fuel combustion. Approximately 99% of the particles observed in Zabrze had aerodynamic diameters ≤1 μm—they may have originated from the combustion of biomass, liquid, and gaseous fuels in domestic stoves or in car engines. The daily variation of particle number was similar for both seasons—the highest values were observed in the morning (traffic rush hour) and in the afternoon/late evening (traffic and house heating emissions). An additional maximum (0.028–0.056 μm) observed in the early afternoon in summer was due to the intensive formation of new PM particles from gas precursors

Seasonality of the airborne ambient soot predominant emission sources determined by Raman microspectroscopy and thermo-optical method

Raman microspectroscopy and thermo-optical-transmittance (TOT) method were used to study airborne ambient soot collected at the suburban air monitoring station in southern Poland during the residential heating (January-February) and non-heating (June–July) seasons of 2017. Carbonaceous material constituted on average 47.2 wt.% of PM2.5 during the heating season and 26.9 wt.% in the non-heating season. Average concentrations of OC (37.5 11.0 g/m3) and EC (5.3 1.1 g/m3) during the heating season were significantly higher than those in the non-heating season (OC = 2.65 0.78 g/m3, and EC = 0.39 0.18 g/m3). OC was a chief contributor to the TC mass concentration regardless of the season. All Raman parameters indicated coal combustion and biomass burning were the predominant sources of soot in the heating season. Diesel soot, which is structurally less ordered than soot from other sources, was dominant during the non-heating season. The D1 and G bands area ratio (D1A/GA) was the most sensitive Raman parameter that discriminated between various soot sources, with D1A/GA > 1 for diesel soot, and less than 1 for soot from coal and wood burning. Due to high daily variability of both TOT and Raman spectroscopy data, single-day measurements can be inconclusive regarding the soot source apportionment. Long-time measurement campaigns are recommended

Mass Size Distribution and Chemical Composition of the Surface Layer of Summer and Winter Airborne Particles in Zabrze, Poland

Mass size distributions of ambient aerosol were measured in Zabrze, a heavily industrialized city of Poland, during a summer and a winter season. The chemical analyses of the surface layer of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 in this area were also performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results suggested that the influence of an atmospheric aerosol on the health condition of Zabrze residents can be distinctly stronger in winter than in summer because of both: higher concentration level of particulate matter (PM) and higher contribution of fine particles in winter season compared to summer. In Zabrze in June (summer) PM10 and PM2.5 reached about 20 and 14 μg/m3, respectively, while in December (winter) 57 and 51 μg/m3, respectively. The XPS analysis showed that elemental carbon is the major surface component of studied airborne particles representing about 78%–80% (atomic mass) of all detected elements

Temporal Variability of Equivalent Black Carbon Components in Atmospheric Air in Southern Poland

This study assesses the air quality in Zabrze (southern Poland) based on the ambient concentrations of equivalent black carbon (eBC). eBC measurement campaigns were carried out from April 2019 to March 2020 using a modern AE33 Aethalometer, accompanied by parallel measurements of gaseous pollutants, PM10 and meteorological parameters. The use of the two-component AE33 model allows for the determination of the eBC from fossil fuel combustion (eBCff) and biomass burning (eBCbb). The obtained results showed a clear seasonal variability of eBC concentrations, with higher average levels in the heating season (4.70 µg·m−3) compared to the non-heating one (1.79 µg·m−3). In both seasons, the eBCff component had a dominant share in total eBC, which indicates significant emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels for heating purposes and from local traffic sources. The obtained results showed high correlation coefficients with gaseous and particulate pollutants, with the strongest relationship for eBC and carbon monoxide (CO). During the non-heating and heating period, both anticyclone and cyclone systems played an important role in shaping eBC, eBCff and eBCbb concentrations. High concentrations of all components occurred with a significant decrease in air temperature and solar radiation in winter

Characterization and Seasonal Variations of Organic and Elemental Carbon and Levoglucosan in PM10 in Krynica Zdroj, Poland

In this study, the ambient aerosol (PM10) concentrations of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), total carbon (TC), and levoglucosan are reported for a Polish health resort following a one-year (March 2016–April 2017) sampling campaign. The seasonal variation of OC, EC, and levoglucosan (LG) concentrations showed their maximum during the heating season for this site, with monthly mean total carbonaceous material/PM10 ratios ranging between about 0.28 and 0.44 depending on the season. Average EC concentration was 1.1 ± 0.6 µg∙m−3 and changed from 0.3 µg∙m−3 up to 2.3 µg∙m−3 during the sampling campaign. The OC concentration at the site ranged from 2.4 µg∙m−3 during the non-heating season up to 22 µg∙m−3 in the heating season, with an average of 7 µg∙m−3. A strong correlation between OC and EC in the heating season suggested that they were produced from similar sources during this time. Mean LG concentration during the sampling campaign was 0.51 µg∙m−3, while in the heating season it was 0.72 µg∙m−3 and in 0.19 µg∙m−3 in the non-heating season. The obtained results indicated a strong influence of local primary source emissions on air quality, especially during the heating period