title: Urban BTEX Spatiotemporal Exposure Assessment by Chemometric Expertise.
abstract: Normative regulations on benzene in fuels and urban management strategies are expected to improve air quality. The present study deals with the application of self-organizing maps (SOMs) in order to explore the spatiotemporal variations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene levels in an urban atmosphere. Temperature, wind speed, and concentration values of these four volatile organic compounds were measured after passive sampling at 21 different sampling sites located in the city of Trieste (Italy) in the framework of a multi-year long-term monitoring program. SOM helps in defining pollution patterns and changes in the urban context, showing clear improvements for what concerns benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene concentrations in air for the 2001-2008 timeframe.
authors.affiliation: Biology and Environmental Protection Institute, Pomeranian University, 22a Arciszewskiego Str., 76-200 Słupsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksander Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Astel
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giorgini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mistaro
authors.forename: Italo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cozzutto
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barbieri
keywords: BTEX; Passive samplers; Self-organizing maps; Spatiotemporal trends; Trieste; Urban zonation