Source Apportionment of Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10) in Yangon, Myanmar

Abstract

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar is one of many developing countries facing concerns about particulate matter (PM). Previously, a preliminary study of PM2.5 in 2018 suggested that the main source of PM in Yangon, the former capital, was vehicle emissions. However, this suggestion was not supported by any chemical composition data. In this study, to fill that gap, we quantitatively determined source contributions to coarse particulate matter (PM10) in Yangon, Myanmar. PM10 samples were collected in Yangon from May 2017 to April 2018 and chemically analyzed to determine composition. Chemical composition data for these samples were then used in the Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) model to identify the major sources of particulate matter in this area. The results indicate that PM10 composition varies seasonally according to both meteorological factors (e.g., precipitation and temperature) and human activities (e.g., firewood and yard waste burning). The major sources of PM in Yangon annually were dust, secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA), and secondary organic aerosols (SOA), while contributions from biomass burning were more important during the winter months.

Influence of Meteorological Conditions and Fire Hotspots on PM0.1 in Northern Thailand during Strong Haze Episodes and Carbonaceous Aerosol Characterization

“…Southeast Asia (SEA) is strongly affected by atmospheric haze pollution (Wiriya et al, 2013;(Li and Shao, 2009;Pongpiachan et al, 2014a;Pongpiachan et al, 2015;Chuang et al, 2016;Li et al, 2016;Chomanee et al, 2020;Dejchanchaiwong et al, 2020;ChooChuay et al, 2020a;ChooChuay et al, 2020b;ChooChuay et al, 2020c;Dejchanchaiwong and Tekasakul, 2021). In the upper SEA, the haze is observed during a quarter of every year and studied, mostly in Thailand (Wiriya et al, 2013;Wiriya et al, 2016;Thepnuan et al, 2019;Pani et al, 2019), but recently, air quality affected by PM10 and PM2.5 was studied in Laos (Nguyen et al, 2019), Myanmar (Sricharoenvech et al, 2020) and Vietnam (Le, 2020). Previous investigations showed that aerosol particles in northern Thailand originated from biomass burning both transboundary and domestic sources (Wiriya et al, 2013).…”

Arsenic and heavy metal contents in white rice samples from rainfed paddy fields in Yangon division, Myanmar—Natural background levels?

“…Southwest wind prevails during this area's rainy season (May-October) (https://weatherspark.com/y/112503/Average-Weather-in-Yangon-Myanmar-(Burma)-Year-Round). Hence, we assumed that rice plants in the sites grew without exposure to the Yangon urban area's aeolian dust, 5.2% of roadway emissions [71]. Many countries have reported high Pb contents in roadside soils [72].…”

Marker Compounds Adsorbed on Dust Particles (PM10) Sampled According to Standard EN 12341 in the Outdoor Air Near the Cement Plant

“…These compounds could be oxidation products from Vončina: Marker Compounds Adsorbed on Dust Particles ... biopolymers or incomplete combustion product, and they could represent secondary organic compounds formed by photochemical reactions. 10,11 The presence of n-alkanes and a fraction of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAH) is low, at detection limit of the experimental method. It is related to the summer season, when there is no use of fossil fuels for heating and at the same time the photochemical degradation is high.…”