Coastal meteorology on the dispersion of air particles at the Bachok GAW Station

Rahim, Haasyimah Ab; Khan, Firoz; Ibrahim, Zul Fadhli; Shoaib, Asadullah; Suradi, Hamidah; Mohyeddin, Noraini; Samah, Azizan Abu; Yusoff, Sumiani

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146783

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…While originating from primary and secondary sources [10], meteorological factors significantly influence PM 2.5 concentration at local and regional scales due to its smaller size and ability to be transported over long distances [11]. Studies by Dominick et al [12], Rahim et al [13], Mohyeddin et al [14], and Farren et al [15] found that north-easterly monsoons bring pollutants to East Coast Malaysia from South China Sea, particularly the East Asian region that has winter monsoon seasons and typically larger pollutants are emitted during that time as more fuel is used for heating in winter. Khan et al [16] found a direction of north-easterly air mass bringing biomass burning pollutants to the sampling area located in Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.…”

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confidence: 99%

Ambient Levels, Emission Sources and Health Effect of PM2.5-Bound Carbonaceous Particles and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the City of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

et al. 2021

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With increasing interest in understanding the contribution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) to particulate air pollution in urban areas, an exploratory study was carried out to determine levels of carbonaceous aerosols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PM2.5 samples were collected using a high-volume sampler for 24 h in several areas in Kuala Lumpur during the north-easterly monsoon from January to March 2019. Samples were analyzed for water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC). Secondary organic carbon (SOC) in PM2.5 was estimated. Particle-bound PAHs were analyzed using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Average concentrations of WSOC, OC, and EC were 2.73 ± 2.17 (range of 0.63–9.12) µg/m3, 6.88 ± 4.94 (3.12–24.1) µg/m3, and 3.68 ± 1.58 (1.33–6.82) µg/m3, respectively, with estimated average SOC of 2.33 µg/m3, contributing 34% to total OC. The dominance of char-EC over soot-EC suggests that PM2.5 is influenced by biomass and coal combustion sources. The average of total PAHs was 1.74 ± 2.68 ng/m3. Source identification methods revealed natural gas and biomass burning, and urban traffic combustion as dominant sources of PAHs in Kuala Lumpur. A deterministic health risk assessment of PAHs was conducted for several age groups, including infant, toddler, children, adolescent, and adult. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of PAH species were well below the acceptable levels recommended by the USEPA. Backward trajectory analysis revealed north-east air mass brought pollutants to the studied areas, suggesting the north-easterly monsoon as a major contributor to increased air pollution in Kuala Lumpur. Further work is needed using long-term monitoring data to understand the origin of PAHs contributing to SOA formation and to apply source-risk apportionment to better elucidate the potential risk factors posed by the various sources in urban areas in Kuala Lumpur.

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