Factorization methods applied to characterize the sources of volatile organic compounds in Montreal, Quebec

Porada, Eugeniusz; Kousha, Termeh

doi:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00509

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Nonetheless, evaporations and exhaust gases coexist in the atmosphere, but their contributions to air pollution in the presence of petrochemicals or sources of natural gas are relatively small. In fact, after petrochemicals and natural gas, evaporative emissions may be the chief environmental concern for VOCs in many large cities [ 41 , 42 , 47 , 62 ]. The city of Toronto does not seem affected by petrochemicals or natural gas mining; still the concentrations of evaporation and exhaust gases appear lower than those reported elsewhere.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The occurrences of dichloromethane and trichloroethylene in the profiles indicate industrial usage of the agents as solvents rather than in flavoring (trichloroethylene was banned from the food and pharmaceutical industries in most of the world due to concerns about its toxicity; see [ 129 ]). Also, there are no discernible sources of aldehydes or ketones; these compounds are almost undetectable in Toronto’s air, unlike in Montreal, a large metropolis in the neighboring province of Quebec, which accommodates the forestry, lumber, and pulp industries [ 62 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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UNMIX Methods Applied to Characterize Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds in Toronto, Ontario

Porada

Szyszkowicz

2016

Toxics

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UNMIX, a sensor modeling routine from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was used to model volatile organic compound (VOC) receptors in four urban sites in Toronto, Ontario. VOC ambient concentration data acquired in 2000–2009 for 175 VOC species in four air quality monitoring stations were analyzed. UNMIX, by performing multiple modeling attempts upon varying VOC menus—while rejecting the results that were not reliable—allowed for discriminating sources by their most consistent chemical characteristics. The method assessed occurrences of VOCs in sources typical of the urban environment (traffic, evaporative emissions of fuels, banks of fugitive inert gases), industrial point sources (plastic-, polymer-, and metalworking manufactures), and in secondary sources (releases from water, sediments, and contaminated urban soil). The remote sensing and robust modeling used here produces chemical profiles of putative VOC sources that, if combined with known environmental fates of VOCs, can be used to assign physical sources’ shares of VOCs emissions into the atmosphere. This in turn provides a means of assessing the impact of environmental policies on one hand, and industrial activities on the other hand, on VOC air pollution.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

UNMIX Methods Applied to Characterize Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds in Toronto, Ontario

Porada

Szyszkowicz

2016

Toxics

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“…The combustion of domestic and industrial fuels, such as n-butane, isobutene and propane (-29 to -28 ;Lopez-Veneroni, 2009), as well as C3 biomass burning (up to -34.7 ; e.g., Kawashima and Haneishi, 2012;Garbaras et al, 2015;Guo et al, 2016) also yield compatibles isotope compositions. Interestingly, Porada and Kousha (2016), using an UNMIX model based on VOC concentration data acquired in 2000-2009 at 4 monitoring stations in Montreal (including station 03), defined the chemical profiles of local contaminant sources: hydrocarbons from road traffic, heavy hydrocarbons from contaminated urban soils, emissions from the fugitive evaporation of gasoline and LPG, leakage from the industrial and commercial use of solvents, and the inert, ozone-depleting gases permeating the urban atmosphere. However, the enriched δ 13 C WSOC we measured in 2013 at station 99 (∼ −23.5 ), as previously discussed, are more compatible with the isotope range of sources that include coal combustion, soil dust, and biogenic marine aerosol, and was probably the result of regional rather than local emissions.…”

Section: Water-soluble Organic Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbonaceous Fractions Contents and Carbon Stable Isotope Compositions of Aerosols Collected in the Atmosphere of Montreal (Canada): Seasonality, Sources, and Implications

Morera-Gómez

Cong

Wîdory

2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

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With the objective of better understanding the sources and dynamics of carbonaceous fractions of the aerosols present in the atmosphere of Montreal, we implemented here an online wet oxidation/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) method to simultaneously measure both water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) content and the corresponding δ13C of aerosol samples collected at four monitoring stations over a 1-year period representing distinct types of environmental conditions (i.e., background, road traffic, industrial, and downtown). We coupled these data with the corresponding concentrations of other carbon fractions: total carbon (TC), elemental carbon plus organic carbon (EC + OC), and carbonates. Results show that TC (6.64 ± 2.88 μg m–3), EC + OC (4.98 ± 2.23 μg m–3), and carbonates (1.71 ± 1.09 μg m–3) were characterized by lower concentrations in winter and higher ones between spring and early autumn, with all fractions expectedly showing significantly lower concentrations for aerosols collected at the background station. We observed a seasonal dependence of the δ13CEC+OC (−25.31 ± 0.94‰) with the EC + OC/total suspended particles (TSP) ratio: (i) an increase of the ratio during late spring, summer and early autumn associated to road traffic emissions characterized by a δ13C of ∼−25‰ and (ii) lower ratios during the winter months indicating the influence of two distinct emission sources, a first one with a δ13C ∼−27‰, suggesting the local influence of combined biomass burning from residential heating and of fossil fuel combustion, and a second one with a δ13C ∼−21‰, likely related to more regional emissions. WSOC (1.14 ± 0.67 μg m–3) presented a similar seasonal pattern for all monitoring stations, with low concentrations in winter, early spring and late autumn that rapidly increased until summer. Our results indicate that this seasonality is controlled by higher anthropogenic contributions from southern Canada and northeastern United States regions and probably from biogenic emissions during the warm months. Moreover, δ13CWSOC (−25.08 ± 1.47‰) showed a 13C-depletion in summer, indicating higher fossil fuel and biogenic contributions, whereas the higher isotope compositions observed in winter may result from the photochemical aging of regional aerosols. Ultimately, we identified the influence of local industrial emissions late in 2013 as well as the impact of aerosol emissions associated to the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster that occurred on July 6, ∼200 km east of Montreal.

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“…Gasoline contains large numbers of dangerous and cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene, butadiene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, trimethylpentane, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and many others which have shown evidence of increased risk of leukemia, kidney, liver, brain, pancreas, aerodigestive tract and prostate cancers [23]. Compounds such as benzene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, which are widely released from industries into the environment are known to be toxic and/or carcinogenic substances [24-25]. The harmful effects of increasing ambient concentrations of pollutants are dangerous for public health, more so, in densely populated urban areas [26].…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The harmful effects of increasing ambient concentrations of pollutants are dangerous for public health, more so, in densely populated urban areas [26]. Atmospheric photochemistry converts the more reactive volatile compounds by oxygenation and through reactions with oxides of nitrogen to secondary volatile organic compounds, free radicals, ozone, and subsequently to smog organic aerosols, all of which are detrimental to public health [25-27]. One of the major components of petroleum products is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are highly condensed aromatic compounds.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Petroleum Carcinogenicity and Aerodigestive Tract: In Context of Developing Nations

Khanna¹,

Gharpure²

2017

Cureus

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Head and neck cancers from a diverse group of neoplasms, the occurrence of which can be attributed to habitual tobacco use, race, alcohol consumption, ultraviolet (UV) exposure, occupational exposure, viruses, and diet. The surging incidence rates reflect the prevalence of risk factors such as tobacco use (smoked and smokeless), betel nut chewing, urbanization and issues relating to urban air quality. Urbanization and development have catalyzed a multifold rise in levels of pollution in metropolitan cities. Ever-increasing consumption of fuels to meet demands of the growing population coupled with industrial activity has adversely affected the air quality, especially in developing countries. The cause most neglected in risk assessment of aerodigestive tract cancer research is that from petroleum exposure. The global issue of petroleum carcinogenicity has assumed high proportions. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals are essential constituents of total petroleum hydrocarbons which infiltrate into the environment and are recognized worldwide as priority pollutants because of their toxicity and carcinogenicity. High levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia and particulate matter PM10 has skyrocketed aerodigestive tract diseases especially carcinomas. The identification of specific biomarkers and role of metal ions in aerodigestive tract cancers will indicate the molecular basis of disease to provide quality care for patients confronting new threats from climate-sensitive pathologies. There is an urgent need to evaluate existing public health infrastructure so as to take ameliorative and adaptive measures.

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Factorization methods applied to characterize the sources of volatile organic compounds in Montreal, Quebec

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

UNMIX Methods Applied to Characterize Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds in Toronto, Ontario

UNMIX Methods Applied to Characterize Sources of Volatile Organic Compounds in Toronto, Ontario

Carbonaceous Fractions Contents and Carbon Stable Isotope Compositions of Aerosols Collected in the Atmosphere of Montreal (Canada): Seasonality, Sources, and Implications

Petroleum Carcinogenicity and Aerodigestive Tract: In Context of Developing Nations

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