title: Spatial variations of levoglucosan in four European study areas.
abstract: Relatively little is known about long term effects of wood smoke on population health. A wood combustion marker - levoglucosan - was measured using a standardized sampling and measurement method in four European study areas (Oslo, The Netherlands, Munich/Augsburg, Catalonia) to assess within and between study area spatial variation. Levoglucosan was analyzed in addition to: PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance, PM10, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), nitrogen oxides (NOx), elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), hopanes, steranes and elemental composition. Measurements were conducted at street, urban and regional background sites. Three two-week samples were taken per site and the annual average concentrations of pollutants were calculated using continuous measurements at one background reference site. Land use regression (LUR) models were developed to explain the spatial variation of levoglucosan. Much larger within than between study area contrast in levoglucosan concentration was found. Spatial variation patterns differed from other measured pollutants: PM2.5, NOx and EC. Levoglucosan had the highest spatial correlation with ΣPAH (r=0.65) and the lowest with traffic markers - NOx, Σhopanes/steranes (r=-0.22). Levoglucosan concentrations in the cold (heating) period were between 3 and 20 times higher compared to the warm period. The contribution of wood-smoke calculated based on levoglucosan measurements and previous European emission data to OC and PM2.5 mass was 13 to 28% and 3 to 9% respectively in the full year. Larger contributions were calculated for the cold period. The median model R(2) of the LUR models was 60%. The LUR models included population and natural land related variables. In conclusion, substantial spatial variability was found in levoglucosan concentrations within study areas. Wood smoke contributed substantially to especially wintertime PM2.5 OC and mass. The low to moderate correlation with PM2.5 mass and traffic markers offers the potential to assess health effects of wood smoke separate from traffic-related air pollution.
authors.affiliation: TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: Aleksandra.jedynska@tno.nl.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jedynska
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hoek
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marloes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eeftens
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany; University of Augsburg, Environmental Science Center, Augsburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cyrys
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beelen
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cirach
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Nazelle
authors.affiliation: TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Menno
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keuken
authors.affiliation: TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Antoon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Visschedijk
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Wenche
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nystad
authors.affiliation: TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Helgah Makarem
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Akhlaghi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kees
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meliefste
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuijsen
authors.affiliation: MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kees
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Hoogh
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brunekreef
authors.affiliation: TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ingeborg M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kooter
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D005947:Glucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; C014989:1,6-anhydro-beta-glucopyranose; D005947:Glucose
keywords: LUR; Levoglucosan; OC; PAH; PM2.5; Spatial variation