Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) are known due to their mutagenic activity. Among them, 2-nitrobenzanthrone (2-NBA) and 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) are considered as two of the most potent mutagens found in atmospheric particles. In the present study 2-NBA, 3-NBA and selected PAHs and Nitro-PAHs were determined in fine particle samples (PM 2.5) collected in a bus station and an outdoor site. The fuel used by buses was a diesel-biodiesel (96:4) blend and light-duty vehicles run with any ethanol-to-gasoline proportion. The concentrations of 2-NBA and 3-NBA were, on average, under 14.8 µg g−1 and 4.39 µg g−1, respectively. In order to access the main sources and formation routes of these compounds, we performed ternary correlations and multivariate statistical analyses. The main sources for the studied compounds in the bus station were diesel/biodiesel exhaust followed by floor resuspension. In the coastal site, vehicular emission, photochemical formation and wood combustion were the main sources for 2-NBA and 3-NBA as well as the other PACs. Incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) were calculated for both places, which presented low values, showing low cancer risk incidence although the ILCR values for the bus station were around 2.5 times higher than the ILCR from the coastal site.

Occurrence of the potent mutagens 2- nitrobenzanthrone and 3-nitrobenzanthrone in fine airborne particles

Numerical assessments of global air quality and potential changes in atmospheric chemical constituents require estimates of the surface fluxes of a variety of trace gas species. We have developed a global model to estimate emissions of volatile organic compounds from natural sources (NVOC). Methane is not considered here and has been reviewed in detail elsewhere. The model has a highly resolved spatial grid (0.5° × 0.5° latitude/longitude) and generates hourly average emission estimates. Chemical species are grouped into four categories: isoprene, monoterpenes, other reactive VOC (ORVOC), and other VOC (OVOC). NVOC emissions from oceans are estimated as a function of geophysical variables from a general circulation model and ocean color satellite data. Emissions from plant foliage are estimated from ecosystem specific biomass and emission factors and algorithms describing light and temperature dependence of NVOC emissions. Foliar density estimates are based on climatic variables and satellite data. Temporal variations in the model are driven by monthly estimates of biomass and temperature and hourly light estimates. The annual global VOC flux is estimated to be 1150 Tg C, composed of 44% isoprene, 11% monoterpenes, 22.5% other reactive VOC, and 22.5% other VOC. Large uncertainties exist for each of these estimates and particularly for compounds other than isoprene and monoterpenes. Tropical woodlands (rain forest, seasonal, drought-deciduous, and savanna) contribute about half of all global natural VOC emissions. Croplands, shrublands and other woodlands contribute 10–20% apiece. Isoprene emissions calculated for temperate regions are as much as a factor of 5 higher than previous estimates.

/pdf/a-global-model-of-natural-volatile-organic-compound-546vyk3ww5.pdf

A global model of natural volatile organic compound emissions

. Reactive gases and aerosols are produced by terrestrial ecosystems, processed within plant canopies, and can then be emitted into the above-canopy atmosphere. Estimates of the above-canopy fluxes are needed for quantitative earth system studies and assessments of past, present and future air quality and climate. The Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) is described and used to quantify net terrestrial biosphere emission of isoprene into the atmosphere. MEGAN is designed for both global and regional emission modeling and has global coverage with ~1 km2 spatial resolution. Field and laboratory investigations of the processes controlling isoprene emission are described and data available for model development and evaluation are summarized. The factors controlling isoprene emissions include biological, physical and chemical driving variables. MEGAN driving variables are derived from models and satellite and ground observations. Tropical broadleaf trees contribute almost half of the estimated global annual isoprene emission due to their relatively high emission factors and because they are often exposed to conditions that are conducive for isoprene emission. The remaining flux is primarily from shrubs which have a widespread distribution. The annual global isoprene emission estimated with MEGAN ranges from about 500 to 750 Tg isoprene (440 to 660 Tg carbon) depending on the driving variables which include temperature, solar radiation, Leaf Area Index, and plant functional type. The global annual isoprene emission estimated using the standard driving variables is ~600 Tg isoprene. Differences in driving variables result in emission estimates that differ by more than a factor of three for specific times and locations. It is difficult to evaluate isoprene emission estimates using the concentration distributions simulated using chemistry and transport models, due to the substantial uncertainties in other model components, but at least some global models produce reasonable results when using isoprene emission distributions similar to MEGAN estimates. In addition, comparison with isoprene emissions estimated from satellite formaldehyde observations indicates reasonable agreement. The sensitivity of isoprene emissions to earth system changes (e.g., climate and land-use) demonstrates the potential for large future changes in emissions. Using temperature distributions simulated by global climate models for year 2100, MEGAN estimates that isoprene emissions increase by more than a factor of two. This is considerably greater than previous estimates and additional observations are needed to evaluate and improve the methods used to predict future isoprene emissions.

/pdf/estimates-of-global-terrestrial-isoprene-emissions-using-2inhk36wkp.pdf

Estimates of global terrestrial isoprene emissions using MEGAN (Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature)

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing countries has led to an increase in air pollution, along a similar trajectory to that previously experienced by the developed nations. In China, particulate pollution is a serious environmental problem that is influencing air quality, regional and global climates, and human health. In response to the extremely severe and persistent haze pollution experienced by about 800 million people during the first quarter of 2013 (refs 4, 5), the Chinese State Council announced its aim to reduce concentrations of PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) by up to 25 per cent relative to 2012 levels by 2017 (ref. 6). Such efforts however require elucidation of the factors governing the abundance and composition of PM2.5, which remain poorly constrained in China. Here we combine a comprehensive set of novel and state-of-the-art offline analytical approaches and statistical techniques to investigate the chemical nature and sources of particulate matter at urban locations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi'an during January 2013. We find that the severe haze pollution event was driven to a large extent by secondary aerosol formation, which contributed 30-77 per cent and 44-71 per cent (average for all four cities) of PM2.5 and of organic aerosol, respectively. On average, the contribution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) are found to be of similar importance (SOA/SIA ratios range from 0.6 to 1.4). Our results suggest that, in addition to mitigating primary particulate emissions, reducing the emissions of secondary aerosol precursors from, for example, fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning is likely to be important for controlling China's PM2.5 levels and for reducing the environmental, economic and health impacts resulting from particulate pollution.

/pdf/high-secondary-aerosol-contribution-to-particulate-pollution-2bz0fbxzvu.pdf

High secondary aerosol contribution to particulate pollution during haze events in China

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounts for a significant fraction of ambient tropospheric aerosol and a detailed knowledge of the formation, properties and transformation of SOA is therefore required to evaluate its impact on atmospheric processes, climate and human health. The chemical and physical processes associated with SOA formation are complex and varied, and, despite considerable progress in recent years, a quantitative and predictive understanding of SOA formation does not exist and therefore represents a major research challenge in atmospheric science. This review begins with an update on the current state of knowledge on the global SOA budget and is followed by an overview of the atmospheric degradation mechanisms for SOA precursors, gas-particle partitioning theory and the analytical techniques used to determine the chemical composition of SOA. A survey of recent laboratory, field and modeling studies is also presented. The following topical and emerging issues are highlighted and discussed in detail: molecular characterization of biogenic SOA constituents, condensed phase reactions and oligomerization, the interaction of atmospheric organic components with sulfuric acid, the chemical and photochemical processing of organics in the atmospheric aqueous phase, aerosol formation from real plant emissions, interaction of atmospheric organic components with water, thermodynamics and mixtures in atmospheric models. Finally, the major challenges ahead in laboratory, field and modeling studies of SOA are discussed and recommendations for future research directions are proposed.

/pdf/the-formation-properties-and-impact-of-secondary-organic-4x4th6v9ke.pdf

The formation, properties and impact of secondary organic aerosol: current and emerging issues

https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.files/fileID/13249

Methyl- and dimethyl-/ethyl-nitronaphthalenes measured in ambient air in Southern California

The dihydroxycarbonyl products of the isomerization reactions of the β-hydroxyalkoxy radicals formed after OH radical addition to the 1-alkenes 1-butene through 1-octene have been observed by direct air sampling atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (API-MS). The experimental data obtained provide direct evidence for β-hydroxyalkoxy radical isomerization via a six-member transition state. Our data show that the importance of β-hydroxyalkoxy radical isomerization in the OH radical-initiated reactions of the 1-alkenes increases with carbon number, being unimportant for 1-butene and dominating for 1-heptene and 1-octene.

Isomerization of β-hydroxyalkoxy radicals formed from the OH radical-initiated reactions of C4-C8 1-alkenes

Evidence for the transformation of polycyclic organic matter in the atmosphere

Naphthalene, typically the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the atmosphere, reacts with OH radicals by addition to form OH–naphthalene adducts. These OH–naphthalene adducts react with O2 and NO2, with the two reactions being of equal importance in air at an NO2 mixing ratio of ∼60 ppbv. 2-Formylcinnamaldehyde [o-HC(O)C6H4CH═CHCHO] is a major product of the OH radical-initiated reaction of naphthalene, with a yield from the reaction of OH–naphthalene adducts with NO2 of ∼56%. We have measured, on a relative basis, the formation yield of 2-formylcinnamaldehyde from the OH radical-initiated reaction of naphthalene in air at average NO2 concentrations of 1.2 × 1011, 1.44 × 1012, and 1.44 × 1013 molecules cm–3 (mixing ratios of 0.005, 0.06, and 0.6 ppmv, respectively). These NO2 concentrations cover the range of conditions corresponding to the OH–naphthalene adducts reacting ∼90% of the time with O2 to ∼90% of the time with NO2. The 2-formylcinnamaldehyde formation yield decreased with decreasi...

2-Formylcinnamaldehyde formation yield from the OH radical-initiated reaction of naphthalene: effect of NO(2) concentration.

The kinetics of the gas-phase reaction of the NO3 radical with naphthalene have been investigated at 150 torr O2 + 590 torr N2 and 600 torr O2 + 140 torr N2 at 298 ± 2 K. Relative rate measurements were carried out in reacting NO3N2O5-naphthalene-propene-O2N2 mixtures by longpath Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. A rate constant ratio for the reactions of O2 and NO2 with the NO3-naphthalene adduct of k/k < 4 × 10−7 was obtained from the competition between O2 and NO2 for reaction with the NO3-naphthalene adduct and thermal decomposition of the adduct back to reactants. Atmospheric pressure ionization MS/MS measurements of the nitronaphthalene products of the NO3 radical-initiated reaction of naphthalene are consistent with the proposed reaction mechanism, and the atmospheric implications of the data are discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Janet Arey

Papers

Methyl- and dimethyl-/ethyl-nitronaphthalenes measured in ambient air in Southern California

Isomerization of β-hydroxyalkoxy radicals formed from the OH radical-initiated reactions of C4-C8 1-alkenes

Evidence for the transformation of polycyclic organic matter in the atmosphere

2-Formylcinnamaldehyde formation yield from the OH radical-initiated reaction of naphthalene: effect of NO(2) concentration.

Reactions of NO3-naphthalene adducts with O2 and NO2