Identification of the sources of primary organic aerosols at urban schools: a molecular marker approach.
Children are particularly susceptible to air pollution and schools are examples of urban microenvironments that can account for a large portion of children's exposure to airborne particles. Thus this paper aimed to determine the sources of primary airborne particles that children are exposed to at school by analyzing selected organic molecular markers at 11 urban schools in Brisbane, Australia. Positive matrix factorization analysis identified four sources at the schools: vehicle emissions, biomass burning, meat cooking and plant wax emissions accounting for 45%, 29%, 16% and 7%, of the organic carbon respectively. Biomass burning peaked in winter due to prescribed burning of bushland around Brisbane. Overall, the results indicated that both local (traffic) and regional (biomass burning) sources of primary organic aerosols influence the levels of ambient particles that children are exposed at the schools. These results have implications for potential control strategies for mitigating exposure at schools.
International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
Leigh R
LR
Crilley
Joint Mass Spectrometry Centre - Comprehensive Molecular Analytics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Institute of Chemistry, University of Rostock, Dr.-Lorenz-Weg 1, D-18051 Rostock, Germany.
Raeed M
RM
Qadir
International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia. Electronic address: g.ayoko@qut.edu.au.
Godwin A
GA
Ayoko
Joint Mass Spectrometry Centre - Comprehensive Molecular Analytics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Jürgen
J
Schnelle-Kreis
Joint Mass Spectrometry Centre - Comprehensive Molecular Analytics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Gülcin
G
Abbaszade
Joint Mass Spectrometry Centre - Comprehensive Molecular Analytics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Jürgen
J
Orasche
Joint Mass Spectrometry Centre - Comprehensive Molecular Analytics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Institute of Chemistry, University of Rostock, Dr.-Lorenz-Weg 1, D-18051 Rostock, Germany.
Ralf
R
Zimmermann
International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
Lidia
L
Morawska
D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000473:Alkanes / Q000032:analysis; D001315:Australia; D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D003296:Cooking; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D012574:Schools; D012621:Seasons; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis
D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D000473:Alkanes; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D002244:Carbon; D002784:Cholesterol
Exposure; Positive matrix factorization; Primary organic aerosols; Schools; Sources