Volatile organic compounds in air at urban and industrial areas in the Tarragona region by thermal desorption and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Abstract

Annual trends of a group of 66 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), containing 20 ozone precursors, were the aim of a sampling campaign carried out for a year in air at urban and industrial areas from Tarragona region. VOCs were determined by active collection on multisorbent tubes, followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analytical method was developed and validated, showing good levels of detection and quantification, recoveries, precision, and linearity for all the compounds in the range being studied. All the industrial and urban samples taken during the sampling campaign were similar in their qualitative composition. The most abundant compound in all urban and industrial sites was i-pentane, with concentrations between 15.2 and 202.1 microg m(-3) in urban sites and between 1.3 and 98.6 microg m(-3) in industrial sites. In urban sites, the following compounds in order of abundance were toluene, n-pentane, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene, with maximum levels of 150.6, 45.8, 42.3, and 31.7 microg m(-3), respectively. In industrial sites, the most abundant compounds depended on the sampled site.

Volatile organic compounds and bioaerosols in the vicinity of a municipal waste organic fraction treatment plant. Human health risks

“…Recently, a BTEX range of 3.7-335 μg/m 3 was reported in the Kocaeli (Turkey) industrial zone (Pekey and Yilmaz 2011), while a high variability of results has been reported in urban areas worldwide (Esplugues et al 2010;Giakoumi et al 2009;Parra et al 2009). With respect to benzene, Ras et al (2010) recently observed levels from non-detected to 16.6 μg/m 3 in urban and industrial areas of Tarragona, exceeding the current concentrations around Ecoparc-2. Those investigators noted also that toluene was the most abundant compound.…”

“…However, this difference was not significant (p>0.05). Some authors have pointed out that ambient levels of VOCs may be reduced in summer (Gallego et al 2008), partially because their photochemical reactivity is prompted to be increased by higher solar radiation (Ras et al 2010). Figure 2 shows the profile of the 19 VOCs analyzed here.…”

Spatial and temporal variations in atmospheric VOCs, NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 concentrations at a heavily industrialized region in Western Turkey, and assessment of the carcinogenic risk levels of benzene

“…They are also involved in aerosol generation (Fuzzi et al, 2006), which can have important visibility and climate implications. Some types at particular concentrations have been linked to various adverse health outcomes such as sore throats and feelings of sickness or dizziness, increase the risk of asthma (ATSDR, 2014), and affect the nervous, immune, and reproductive systems (Ras et al, 2010). Some VOCs such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and formaldehyde have also mutagenic or carcinogenic effects after long-term exposure (USEPA IRIS, 2013;Zhang et al, 2012).…”

A cryogen-free refrigerating preconcentration device for the measurement of C2 to C4 hydrocarbons in ambient air

“…By properly selecting single or multiple sorbents, a wide variety of VOCs can be quantitatively adsorbed and enriched. 8,9 Due to the advantages of great sampling versatility, high concentration capacity, and ease of use, the method has been preferentially applied in the determination of VOCs in the lower troposphere, 10 rural and urban areas, [11][12][13][14] and indoor environments.…”