title: Passive air monitoring of PCBs and PCNs across East Asia: a comprehensive congener evaluation for source characterization.
abstract: A comprehensive congener specific evaluation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in the atmosphere was conducted across East Asia in spring 2008, applying polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air sampler (PAS) as monitoring device. Mean concentrations derived for Japan, China and Korea were 184 ± 24, 1100 ± 118, and 156 ± 20 pg m(-3) for ∑(202) PCBs, and 9.5 ± 1.5, 61 ± 6, and 16 ± 2.4 pg m(-3) for ∑(63) PCNs, respectively. Relative to reported data from 2004, the present results suggest that air PCBs concentrations have not changed much in Japan and Korea, while it has increased by one order of magnitude in China. From principal component analysis, combustion emerged highly culpable in contemporary emissions of both PCBs and PCNs across the East Asian sub-region. Another factor derived as important to air PCBs was re-emissions/volatilization. Signals from PCBs formulations were also picked, but their general importance was virtually consigned to the re-emissions/volatilization tendencies. On the contrary, counterpart PCNs formulations did not appear to contribute much to air PCNs.
authors: Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-8501, Japan. nartey-hogarh-ny@ynu.ac.jp
authors: Jonathan Nartey
authors: JN
authors: Hogarh
authors: Nobuyasu
authors: N
authors: Seike
authors: Yuso
authors: Y
authors: Kobara
authors: Ahsan
authors: A
authors: Habib
authors: Jae-Jak
authors: JJ
authors: Nam
authors: Jong-Sik
authors: JS
authors: Lee
authors: Qilu
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Gan
authors: G
authors: Zhang
authors: Shigeki
authors: S
authors: Masunaga
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D001208:Asia; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D011156:Population Density; D025341:Principal Component Analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009281:Naphthalenes; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls