[Effect of Clean Heating on Carbonaceous Aerosols in PM2.5 During the Heating Period in Baoding].

In order to study the effects of clean heating measures on the concentration and source of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in Baoding, we collected PM2.5 samples in Baoding during the winter heating periods of 2014 and 2019. The concentrations of OC and EC in the samples were determined by using a DRI Model 2001A thermo-optical carbon analyzer.The results showed that the average values of ρ(OC) and ρ(EC) in the heating period in 2014 were 60.92 µg·m-3 and 18.15 µg·m-3, and the average values of ρ(OC) and ρ(EC) in the heating period in 2019 were 36.63 µg·m-3 and 6.07 µg·m-3. Compared with those in 2014, the concentrations of OC and EC decreased by 39.87% and 66.56%, respectively, in 2019; the decrease in EC was larger than that in OC, and the meteorological conditions in 2019 were more severe than those in 2014, which was not conducive to the spread of pollutants.The correlation analysis and SOC estimation of OC and EC indicated that the correlation R2 of OC and EC in Baoding in 2014 and 2019 were 0.874 and 0.811, respectively, indicating that OC and EC in Baoding had relatively consistent sources. The average values of ρ(SOC) in 2014 and 2019 were 16.59 µg·m-3 and 11.31 µg·m-3, respectively, and the contribution rates to OC were 27.23% and 30.87%, respectively. This showed that in 2019, compared with that in 2014, the primary pollution decreased, but the secondary pollution increased, and the atmospheric oxidation increased.The analysis of the pollution sources of carbonaceous aerosols revealed that in 2014 and 2019 before and after the implementation of clean heating, the carbonaceous aerosols in the atmosphere were mainly from biomass combustion, coal combustion, and vehicle exhaust emissions. However, the contribution from biomass burning and coal burning decreased in 2019 compared to that in 2014. The decrease in OC and EC concentrations was attributed to the control of coal-fired and biomass-fired sources by clean heating. At the same time, the implementation of clean heating measures reduced the contribution of primary emissions to carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in Baoding City.

Comprehensive evaluation method of urban air quality statistics based on environmental monitoring data and its application.

Air quality monitoring is effective for timely understanding of the current air quality status of a region or city. Currently, the huge volume of environmental monitoring data, which has reasonable real-time performance, provides strong support for in-depth analysis of air pollution characteristics and causes. However, in the era of big data, to meet current demands for fine management of the atmospheric environment, it is important to explore the characteristics and causes of air pollution from multiple aspects for comprehensive and scientific evaluation of air quality. This study reviewed and summarized air quality evaluation methods on the basis of environmental monitoring data statistics during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, and evaluated the level of air pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and its surrounding areas (i.e., the "2+26" region) during the period of the three-year action plan to fight air pollution. We suggest that air quality should be comprehensively, deeply, and scientifically evaluated from the aspects of air pollution characteristics, causes, and influences of meteorological conditions and anthropogenic emissions. It is also suggested that a three-year moving average be introduced as one of the evaluation indexes of long-term change of pollutants. Additionally, both temporal and spatial differences should be considered when removing confounding meteorological factors.

[Analysis of Pollution Characteristics and Sources of PM2.5 During Heavy Pollution in Shijiazhuang City Around New Year's Day 2019].

We report on successive haze weather that occurred in Shijiazhuang City, China, from December 30, 2018 to January 15, 2019. There were 12 days of heavy atmospheric pollution during this period, which primarily involved aerosol fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This study analyzes the causes of the pollution using component analysis and by assessing pollution evolution, spatial and temporal distributions of PM2.5, pollution sources, and meteorological factors. The results showed that PM2.5 was mainly composed of secondary inorganic ions (65.4%) that were mainly sourced from coal combustion (24.4%) and industrial sources (23.7%). The contributions of sulfate and secondary inorganic sources increased significantly with increasing pollution. Pollution was affected by unfavorable meteorological conditions (e.g., a low air mass) and by the particular local terrain, static stability, high humidity, and near-ground reverse temperatures from the south-southeast and west-southwest directions. Contaminants from primary sources including coal combustion, industry, and motor vehicle exhausts accumulated quickly in front of the Taihang Mountains. Secondary transformation of gaseous pollutants and increasing moisture absorption of particulate matter increased PM2.5 concentrations. Sulfate explosion also increased pollution. We recommend that as part of emergency responses to heavy pollution events, emissions reduction measures should be implemented to strengthen the control of SO2, NOx, and NH3 emission sources of secondary inorganic precursors, especially SO2 emission sources (i.e., coal etc.). We further propose a strengthen of the management of atmospheric emission sources in Xinle, Wuji, Shenze, Jinzhou, and Xingtang counties in the northeast of the city to reduce the impact of local transmission.

[Chemical Characteristics of Arsenic in PM2.5 in Beijing].

This study assesses the chemical characteristics of As in aerosol PM2.5 samples that were collected from July 2011 to May 2012 in Beijing, China. Total As, As(Ⅲ), and As(Ⅴ) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and hydride generation atomic fluorescence (HG-AFS), respectively. The average concentrations of total As, As(Ⅲ) and As(Ⅴ) over the entire sampling period were (21.82±17.01), (3.15±1.94), and (10.78±5.39) ng·m-3, respectively. The average concentrations of total As, As(Ⅲ) and As(Ⅴ) were (16.62±5.80), (18.34±9.00), (21.49±10.22), and (29.52±27.97) ng·m-3 during the spring, (5.42±2.5), (1.61±0.51), (2.88±1.12), and (3.27±1.23) ng·m-3 during the summer, and (7.55±1.47), (13.57±13.34), (12.75±6.54), and (8.68±3.57) ng·m-3 during the winter, respectively. The average concentrations of As(Ⅲ) in different seasons were higher than As(Ⅴ) concentrations. Seasonal characteristics may be caused by seasonal differences in diffusion conditions, emission sources, and atmospheric oxidation. The ratios of average concentrations of As(Ⅲ)/As(Ⅴ) were 0.67 in spring, 0.13 in summer, 0.27 in autumn, and 0.44 in winter. Ratios of As(Ⅲ)/As(Ⅴ) were negatively correlated with relative humidity, which indicates that high humidity conditions may not have been favorable for the transformation of As(Ⅲ) into As(Ⅴ). As(Ⅲ)/As(Ⅴ) and As(Ⅲ) both showed positive correlations with Ca2+, thereby indicating that soil dust may have been an important source of As(Ⅲ).

[Emission Characteristics of Chemical Composition of Particulate Matter from Coal-fired Boilers].

Samples of particulate matter from coal-fired boilers of different tons were collected in Lanzhou city, and the water-soluble inorganic ions, carbonaceous species, water-soluble organic compounds (WSOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed. The results showed that SO42-, Cl-, and Ca2+ were the most important water-soluble ions in the coal-fired boiler samples, accounting for 35.13%, 23.16%, and 22.20% of the total mass of water-soluble ions, respectively. The pyrolysis composition spectra of the carbonaceous species were similar among the coal-fired boilers, and organic carbon fraction (OC1, OC2, OC3, and OC4),and elemental carbon fraction (EC1, EC2, and EC3) accounted for 1.04%, 8.26%, 20.09%, 6.78%, 51.08%, 7.09%, and 5.66% of the total carbon (TC), respectively. EC1 had the highest content and was the most important carbonaceous species. The average ratios of WSOC/TC and WSOC/OC were 0.09±0.07 and 0.23±0.12, respectively, and the difference among the boilers of different tons was large. Phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr), and benzene(k)anthracene (BkF) were the three main components of the PAHs, accounting for 16.69%, 11.93%, and 10.66% of the total PAHs, respectively. The particulate water-soluble ions, organic/elemental carbon aerosol (OCEC) and WSOC emitted from different tons coal-fired boilers were not significantly linearly related to the tonnage of the steam boiler, and low molecular weight PAHs decreased with the increase of tonnage of the steam boiler.

Impact of emissions controls on ambient carbonyls during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, China.

Beijing and its surrounding areas implemented a series of stringent measures to ensure good air quality during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. These measures included restrictions on traffic, constructions, and industrial activities. The diurnal variations of carbonyls, 24-h PM2.5, and its chemical species were investigated before, during, after APEC, and the 2015 summer. The average concentrations of carbonyls, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone were decreased by 65.2%, 78.6%, 41.5%, and 55.6% during APEC, respectively. The concentrations of propene equivalent, the ozone formation potential, and the contribution to OH· removal by carbonyls during APEC were approximately 27-33% of those during the preceding interval. The temporal variation of carbonyls during APEC was similar to that of other air pollutants, except for O3; however, the diurnal variation of carbonyls was consistent with that of O3, with the highest values at noon and the lowest ones at night during APEC. Large variations in C1/C2 (0.95-9.41) and C2/C3 (5.70-15.71) were observed during the sampling period. The correlations analysis, diagnostical ratios, and diurnal variations of carbonyls indicated that primary sources were not an important source and secondary formation was the dominant source of atmospheric carbonyls during the entire period. The control measures not only reduced primary carbonyl emissions but also dramatically reduced secondary carbonyl precursors, such as NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), resulting in the low level of carbonyls during APEC. In addition, the potential health effects of carbonyls were evaluated and the cancer risk from formaldehyde and acetaldehyde was significantly higher before APEC than during the other intervals.

Chemical characteristics and source apportionment of PM2.5 in Lanzhou, China.

Daily PM2.5 samples were collected during winter 2012 and summer 2013 at an urban site in Lanzhou and were analyzed for chemical compounds including water soluble inorganic ions (WSIN), trace elements, water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), carbonaceous species (OC/EC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and humic-like substances (HULIS). The seasonal-average reconstructed PM2.5 mass was 120.5µgm-3 in winter and 34.1µgm-3 in summer. The top three groups of species in PM2.5 were OC (35.4±13.9µgm-3), WSIN (34.89±14.21µgm-3), and EC (13.80±5.41µgm-3) in winter and WSIN (11.25±3.25µgm-3), OC (9.74±3.30µgm-3), and EC (4.44±2.00µgm-3) in summer. EC exceeded SO42- on most of the days. Several anthropogenic produced primary pollutants such as PAHs, Cl-, Pb, Cd and OCpri were 4-22 times higher in winter than summer. Carcinogenic substances such as Arsenic, BaP, Pb, and Cd in PM2.5 exceeded the WHO guideline limits by 274%, 153%, 23% and 7%, respectively. Positive Matric Factorization analysis identified seven source factors including steel industry, secondary aerosols, coal combustion, power plants, vehicle emissions, crustal dust, and smelting industry, which contributed 7.1%, 33.0%, 28.7%, 3.12%, 8.8%, 13.3%, and 6.0%, respectively, to PM2.5 in winter, and 6.7%, 14.8%, 3.1%, 3.4%, 25.2%, 11.6% and 35.2% in summer. Smelting industry and steel industry were identified for the first time as sources of PM2.5 in this city, and power plant was distinguished from industrial boiler and residential coal burning.

Ambient volatile organic compounds pollution in China.

Owing to rapid economic and industrial development, China has been suffering from degraded air quality and visibility. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone and hence photochemical smog. Some VOCs adversely affect human health. Therefore, VOCs have recently elicited public concern and given new impetus to scientific interest. China is now implementing a series of polices to control VOCs pollution. The key to formulating policy is understanding the ambient VOCs pollution status. This paper mainly analyzes the species, levels, sources, and spatial distributions of VOCs in ambient air. The results show that the concentrations of ambient VOCs in China are much higher than those of developed countries such as the United States and Japan, especial benzene, which exceeds available standards. At the same time, the ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) of various VOCs are calculated. Aromatics and alkenes have much higher OFPs, while aromatics have higher SOAFP. The OFPs of ambient VOCs in the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Changchun are very high, and the SOAFP of ambient VOCs in the cities of Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Changchun are higher.

[Spatial Distribution Characteristics of NMHCs in Spring in Cangzhou City].

Simultaneous collections of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were carried out at 15 sampling sites including urban, suburb and potential pollution areas in Cangzhou City in spring 2015. The results showed that NMHCs were generally higher in urban areas than those in suburb and rural areas; the highest concentration of NMHCs was observed at Cangzhou High-tech zone (urban area); the concentrations of NMHCs were significantly lower at rural sites than in most urban sites except Hejian site; vehicular emissions were the main sources of NMHCs in Cangzhou; Cangzhou chemical fertilizer plant and Cangzhou oil refinery had no significant influence on urban NMHCs during their shutdown period; Dagang Oilfield, with better oil and gas recovery systems, did not have a significant impact on urban NMHCs. In general, alkanes, alkenes and aromatics accounted for 65%, 16% and 19% of NMHCs in Cangzhou City, respectively; xylene (19%), ethylene (14%), toluene(11%), propylene (5%), isopentane (5%) and isopentene (5%) were the most dominant contributors to ozone formation potential; aerosol formation potential was mainly derived from toluene (28%), pinene (28%), xylene(16%), ethylbenzene (9%) and benzene (9%).

[Chemical Characteristics and Sources of Heavy Metals in Fine Particles in Beijing in 2011-2012].

In order to investigate the chemical characteristics and sources of atmospheric heavy metals, PM2.5 samples were collected every three days during the summer of 2011 and summer of 2012. The samples were analyzed for Li, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ti, Ga, Ni, Sr, Cd, In, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi, and U by ICP-MS, with an emphasis on seven major heavy metal elements (Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, As, V, and Cr). The concentrations of Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, As, V, and Cr were (331.30±254.52), (212.64±182.06), (85.96±47.00), (45.19±27.74), (17.13±19.02), (4.92±3.38), and (9.04±7.84) ng·m-3 in PM2.5 in Beijing during the summer of 2011 and the summer of 2012. In the autumn and winter seasons, PM2.5/heavy metal pollution is more severe than in spring and summer, which may be related to the increase in coal combustion used for heating in autumn and winter in Beijing. Haze pollution enhances the concentrations of seven heavy metals in PM2.5 in Beijing and the enhancement shows seasonal variations. The source analysis suggested that dust (including building dust and road dust) and coal combustion might be two most important sources of heavy metals in Beijing, and transport and other industrial sources cannot be ignored.

Chemical characterization of humic-like substances (HULIS) in PM2.5 in Lanzhou, China.

Evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) was applied to quantify HULIS (humic-like substances) for the first time in 2012 winter and 2013 summer at an urban site in Lanzhou. Water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water soluble inorganic ions, and carbonaceous species (OC/EC) were also analyzed. The results show that OM (Organic Matter=OC×1.6, constituting 45.8% to PM2.5) was the most abundant species, followed by SNA (SO42-+NO3-+NH4+, constituting 23.4% to PM2.5). The chemical species were in the order of: OC>EC>SO42->NO3->NH4+>Cl->Ca2+>K+. The annual average concentration of HULIS was 4.70µg/m-3 and HULISc (carbon content of HULIS) contributed 6.19% to PM2.5 and 45.6% to WSOC, indicating that HULIS was the most important components of WSOC. The concentration of HULIS was 2.14±0.80µg/m3 in summer and 7.24±2.77µg/m3 in winter, respectively. The concentrations of HULIS were relatively low and stable in summer, while high and varied dramatically in winter. The abundance of HULISc in WSOC shows a more concentrated distribution in Lanzhou, with a range between 0.28-0.57. The ratios of HULIS/K+ were 6.25±1.41 and 6.14±1.96 in summer and winter, respectively, suggesting there were other significant sources in addition to biomass burning emissions. HULIS and WSOC exhibited similar seasonal variation and had a strong positive correlation. In addition to the good relationship (0.89) between HULIS and Cl- in winter, the great enhancement of HULIS with significantly high Cl- and relatively low K+ in winter indicated that residential coal burning was probably an important HULIS source in winter. Correlation and back trajectory analysis suggested that biomass burning and secondary formation were also important HULIS sources and the contribution of HULIS from dust could be neglected. Adverse meteorological conditions were also important factors for the accumulation of HULIS in winter.

[Pollution Characteristics and Source of HULIS in the Fine Particle During the Beijing APEC].

In order to investigate the influence of the emission reduction measure during the Beijing APEC on the concentrations and pollution characteristics of humic-like substances (HULIS) in atmospheric fine particles, PM2.5 samples were collected and analyzed for OCEC, WSOC, HULIS and water-soluble ions. The concentration of HULIS in PM2.5 ranged 1 µg · m⁻³-15 µg · m⁻³. HULIS concentrations were 7.99 µg · m⁻³, 5.83 µg · m⁻³ and 7.06 µg · m⁻³ before, during and after APEC, which indicated emission reduction measure had important effect on the reduction of HULlS. The decrease of HULIS during the APEC was significantly faster than those of EC and WSOC, while the increase of HULIS turned out to be much slower than OC, EC, WSOC and PM2.5 after the meeting. The proportions of HULIS to PM2.5 were 13.60%, 13.59%, 14.02% and 12.22% at four different stages, i. e., whole sampling period, before, during and after the APEC, while HULIS-C/OC and HULIS-C/WSOC were 28.95%, 35.51%, 28.37%, 19.93%; and 52.75%, 59.58%, 51.54%, 45.39%, respectively. HULlS was significantly positively correlated with humidity, while significantly negatively correlated with wind speed. Biomass burning and secondary transformation of VOCs might be two important sources of HULlS in Beijing.

Long-term trends of chemical characteristics and sources of fine particle in Foshan City, Pearl River Delta: 2008-2014.

Foshan is a major international ceramic center and the most polluted city in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Here we present the results of the first long-term PM2.5 (particles <2.5µm) sampling and chemical characterization study of the city. A total of 2774 samples were collected at six sites from 2008 to 2014, and analyzed for water soluble species, elements and carbonaceous species. The major constituents of PM2.5 were sulfate, OC (Organic Carbon), nitrate, ammonium and EC (Elemental Carbon), which accounted for 50%-88% of PM2.5. PM2.5 and the most abundant chemical species decreased from 2008 to 2011, but rebounded in 2012-2013. After 2008, the chemical composition of PM2.5 changed dramatically due to the implementation of pollution control measures. From 2008 to 2011, SO4(2-) and NO3(-) were the two largest components; subsequently, however, OC was the largest component. The respective contributions of SO4(2-), NO3(-) and OC to the sum of water soluble species and carbonaceous species were 30.5%, 22.9% and 19.9% in 2008; and 20.2%, 16.5% and 30.2% in 2014. Distinct differences in nitrate and sulfate, and in mass ratio [NO3(-)]/[SO4(2-)] imply that mobile sources tended to more important in Foshan during 2012-2014. The results indicate that pollution control measures implemented during 2008-2014 had a large effect on anthropogenic elements (Pb, As, Cd, Zn and Cu) and water soluble species, but little influence on crustal elements (V, Mn, Ti, Ba and Fe) and carbonaceous species. The PMF method was used for source apportionment of PM2.5. Industry (including the ceramic industry and coal combustion), vehicles and dust were the three most important sources and comprised 39.2%, 20.0% and 18.4% of PM2.5 in 2008, respectively. However, secondary aerosols, vehicles and industry were the three most important sources and comprised 29.5%, 22.4% and 20.4% of PM2.5 in 2014, respectively. During the seven year study interval, the contributions of primary sources (industry and dust) decreased significantly, but secondary sources increased dramatically. Industry, dust and vehicles contributed 36.6µgm(-3), 13.9µgm(-3), and 9.2µgm(-3) to the reduction of PM2.5, respectively.

[Pollutional Characteristics and Sources Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Atmospheric Fine Particulate Matter in Lanzhou City].

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of important toxic compounds. In order to detect the pollutional characteristics of atmospheric PAHs in Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), a total of 60 PM2.5 samples were collected in Lanzhou City during the winter of 2012 and summer of 2013. The GC/MS measurement results of the samples demonstrated the averagely total mass concentrations of the most significant 16 homologues of PAHs were (191.79±88.29) ng·m-3 and (8.94±4.34) ng·m-3 in winter and summer respectively, indicating a higher pollution level in winter. In winter, the snowfall was the most important meteorological factor for the decrease of PAHs mass concentration in PM2.5. The percentages of PAHs with 4 rings were the highest in both winter (51.40%) and summer (49.94%) in Lanzhou. The percentage of PAHs with 5-6 rings in summer (41.04%) was higher than that in winter (24.94%). However, the percentage of PAHs with 2-3 rings in summer (9.03%) was lower than that in winter (23.67%). Based on the analysis of characteristic ratios, we concluded that the PAHs in atmospheric PM2.5 in Lanzhou were mainly sourced from coal and vehicle emissions in winter, especially the diesel vehicles. The absolute contributions of all possible PAHs pollution sources were insignificant in summer, with relatively higher contribution from gasoline vehicles.

[Pollution Characteristics of Non-methane Hydrocarbons During Winter and Summer in Foshan City].

Thirty non-methane hydrocarbons(NMHCs) samples were collected and analyzed in Foshan City during winter 2014 and summer 2015. The concentrations of NMHCs during the sampling period were 122.30 µg·m-3 and 56.22 µg·m-3 in winter and summer, respectively. The five highest concentration species of NMHCs in winter and summer were in the following order: toluene (25.12 µg·m-3), m/p-xylene (13.76 µg·m-3), propane (9.17 µg·m-3), ethylbenzene (7.25 µg·m-3), ethylene (6.77 µg·m-3) and toluene (6.18 µg·m-3), m/p-xylene (5.21 µg·m-3), o-xylene (4.15 µg·m-3), ß-pinene(3.75 µg·m-3), propane (3.29 µg·m-3). Compared to 2008, the concentrations of NMHCs have dropped significantly. The proportions of aromatics, alkanes, alkenes and alkynes in NMHCs were 51.20%, 34.70%, 10.04%, 4.05% and 43.93%, 33.99%, 19.20%, 2.88% during winter and summer, respectively. The ratios of NMHCs/NOx were 0.90 and 1.88, indicating that the peak ozone concentrations in Foshan City were controlled by NMHCs during the sampling period, and the emissions of NMHCs should be further strengthened. The propylene equivalent concentration and ozone formation potential were 45.09 µg·m-3 and 40.64 µg·m-3, 392.77 µg·m-3 and 207.77 µg·m-3 in winter and summer. The m/p-xylene; toluene and m/p-xylene; isoprene had a very important influence on ozone formation potential. The ratios of Benzene/Toluene were 0.15 and 0.20 indicated that industrial process was the main source of NMHCs in Foshan City. Relative to 2008, isopentane didn't belong to the highest concentration of five pollutants for Foshan's NMHCs in this research, indicating the measures to prevent volatile gasoline impact on the environmental quality have achieved remarkable results.

Source of atmospheric heavy metals in winter in Foshan, China.

Foshan is a ceramics manufacturing center in the world and the most polluted city in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in southern China measured by the levels of atmospheric heavy metals. PM2.5 samples were collected in Foshan in winter 2008. Among the 22 elements and ions analyzed, 7 heavy metals (Zn, V, Mn, Cu, As, Cd and Pb) were studied in depth for their levels, spatiotemporal variations and sources. The ambient concentrations of the heavy metals were much higher than the reported average concentrations in China. The levels of Pb (675.7 ± 378.5 ng/m(3)), As (76.6 ± 49.1 ng/m(3)) and Cd (42.6 ± 45.2 ng/m(3)) exceeded the reference values of NAAQS (GB3095-2012) and the health guidelines of the World Health Organization. Generally, the levels of atmospheric heavy metals showed spatial distribution as: downtown site (CC, Chancheng District)>urban sites (NH and SD, Nanhai and Shunde Districts)>rural site (SS, Shanshui District). Two sources of heavy metals, the ceramic and aluminum industries, were identified during the sampling period. The large number of ceramic manufactures was responsible for the high levels of atmospheric Zn, Pb and As in Chancheng District. Transport from an aluminum industry park under light north-west winds contributed high levels of Cd to the SS site (Shanshui District). The average concentration of Cd under north-west wind was 220 ng/m(3), 20.5 times higher than those under other wind directions. The high daily maximum enrichment factors (EFs) of Cd, Pb, Zn, As and Cu at all four sites indicated extremely high contamination by local emissions. Back trajectory analysis showed that the heavy metals were also closely associated with the pathway of air mass. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) method was applied to determine the source apportionment of these heavy metals. Five factors (industry including the ceramic industry and coal combustion, vehicle emissions, dust, transportation and sea salt) were identified and industry was the most important source of atmospheric heavy metals. The present paper suggests a control policy on the four heavy metals Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu, and suggests the inclusion of As in the ceramic industry emission standard in the future.

[Seasonal variation of carcinogenic heavy metals in PM2.5 and source analysis in Beijing].

During April, July, October 2009 and January 2010, daily (24-h average) PM2.5 samples were collected at urban sites in Beijing and 29 metal elements were analyzed by the ICP-MS. The characteristics of 7 carcinogenic heavy metal mass concentrations, enrichment, and possible sources were discussed. The annual average concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb and Se were (11.6 +/- 14.0), (2.6 +/- 2.4), (1.0 +/- 0.7), (11.3 +/- 9.4), (4.0 +/- 2.4), (142.5 +/- 98.9) and (3.3 +/- 2.2) ng m(-3), respectively. Only annual average concentration of As exceeded WHO standard by a factor of 0.8. Higher enrichment factors of As, Cd, Pb and Se were found and their enrichment factors exceeded 500. Their enrichment factors in summer were much higher than those in other seasons. The local coal combustion and vehicle exhaust should be the dominant sources for the above four carcinogenic heavy metals in spring, autumn and winter, while regional transportation contributed more in summer.

Size distribution, characteristics and sources of heavy metals in haze episode in Beijing.

Size segragated samples were collected during high polluted winter haze days in 2006 in Beijing, China. Twenty nine elements and 9 water soluble ions were determined. Heavy metals of Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, As, Cr, Ni, V and Cd were deeply studied considering their toxic effect on human being. Among these heavy metals, the levels of Mn, As and Cd exceeded the reference values of National Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-2012) and guidelines of World Health Organization. By estimation, high percentage of atmospheric heavy metals in PM2.5 indicates it is an effective way to control atmospheric heavy metals by PM2.5 controlling. Pb, Cd, and Zn show mostly in accumulation mode, V, Mn and Cu exist mostly in both coarse and accumulation modes, and Ni and Cr exist in all of the three modes. Considering the health effect, the breakthrough rates of atmospheric heavy metals into pulmonary alveoli are: Pb (62.1%) > As (58.1%) > Cd (57.9%) > Zn (57.7%) > Cu (55.8%) > Ni (53.5%) > Cr (52.2%) > Mn (49.2%) > V (43.5%). Positive matrix factorization method was applied for source apportionment of studied heavy metals combined with some marker elements and ions such as K, As, SO4(2-) etc., and four factors (dust, vehicle, aged and transportation, unknown) are identified and the size distribution contribution of them to atmospheric heavy metals are discussed.

[Pollution characteristics of organic acids in atmospheric particles during haze periods in autumn in Guangzhou].

Total suspended particles (TSP), collected during a typical haze period in Guangzhou, were analyzed for the fatty acids (C12-C30) and low molecular weight dicarboxylic acids (C3-C9) using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that the concentration of total fatty and carboxylic acids was pretty high during the haze episode. The ratios of fatty acids and carboxylic acids in haze to those in normal days were 1.9 and 2.5, respectively. During the episode of the increasing pollution, the fatty acids and carboxylic acids at night (653 ng x m(-3)) was higher than that (487 ng x m(-3)) in days. After that, the level of fatty acids and carboxylic acids in days (412 ng x m(-3)) was higher than that (336 ng x m(-3)) at night. In general, the time-series of fatty acids and carboxylic acids was similar to that of the air particle and carbonaceous species, however, the trend of the ratio of fatty acids and carboxylic acids to organic carbon was opposite to that of air particle and carbonaceous species. This ratio decreased with the increase of the concentration of air particle and after the night of 27th, the ratio increased with the decrease in the concentration of air particle. The results showed that haze pollution had a significant inhibitory effect on the enrichment of fatty and carboxylic acids. Based on the ratio of malonate to succinate (C3/C4), it could be found that primary sources contribute more to the atmospheric fatty and carboxylic acids during the autumn haze pollution periods in Guangzhou.

[Spatial distribution characteristics of NMHCs during winter haze in Beijing].

NMHCs and NOx samples were simultaneously collected and analyzed in six urban and suburban representative sampling sites (Sihuan, Tian'anmen, Pinguoyuan, Fatou, Beijing Airport and Miyun) during a typical haze period in winter 2005, Beijing. The concentrations of NMHCs during the sampling period in descending order were: Sihuan (1101.29 microg x m(-3)) > Fatou (692.40 microg x m(-3)) >Tian'anmen (653.28 microg x m(-3)) >Pinguoyuan (370.27 microg x m(-3)) > Beijing Airport (350.36 microg x m(-3)) > Miyun (199.97 microg x m(-3)). Atmospheric benzene pollution in Beijing was rather serious. The ratio of NMHCs/NOx ranged from 2.1 to 6.3, indicating that the peak ozone concentrations in urban Beijing were controlled by VOCs during the sampling period. Analysis of propylene equivalent concentration and ozone formation potential showed that the NMHCs reactivity descended in the order of Sihuan > Fatou > Tian'anmen > Pinguoyuan > Beijing Airport > Miyun. B/T values (0.52 to 0.76) indicated that besides motor vehicle emission, coal combustion and other emission sources were also the sources of NHMCs in Beijing in winter. The spatial variations of isoprene in Beijing indicated that the contribution of anthropogenic sources to isoprene increased and the emissions by biogenic sources decreased in winter. The spatial variations of propane and butane indicated that LPG emissions existed in the urban region of Beijing.