title: Air quality in the Industrial Heartland of Alberta, Canada and potential impacts on human health.
abstract: The "Industrial Heartland" of Alberta is Canada's largest hydrocarbon processing center, with more than 40 major chemical, petrochemical, and oil and gas facilities. Emissions from these industries affect local air quality and human health. This paper characterizes ambient levels of 77 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the region using high-precision measurements collected in summer 2010. Remarkably strong enhancements of 43 VOCs were detected, and concentrations in the industrial plumes were often similar to or even higher than levels measured in some of the world's largest cities and industrial regions. For example maximum levels of propene andi-pentane exceeded 100 ppbv, and 1,3-butadiene, a known carcinogen, reached 27 ppbv. Major VOC sources included propene fractionation, diluent separation and bitumen processing. Emissions of the measured VOCs increased the hydroxyl radical reactivity (kOH), a measure of the potential to form downwind ozone, from 3.4 s-1in background air to 62 s-1in the most concentrated plumes. The plume value was comparable to polluted megacity values, and acetaldehyde, propene and 1,3-butadiene contributed over half of the plumekOH. Based on a 13-year record (1994-2006) at the county level, the incidence of male hematopoietic cancers (leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma) was higher in communities closest to the Industrial Heartland compared to neighboring counties. While a causal association between these cancers and exposure to industrial emissions cannot be confirmed, this pattern and the elevated VOC levels warrant actions to reduce emissions of known carcinogens, including benzene and 1,3-butadiene.
authors: Dept. of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors: Isobel J
authors: IJ
authors: Simpson
authors: Dept. of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors: Josette E
authors: JE
authors: Marrero
authors: Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors: Stuart
authors: S
authors: Batterman
authors: Dept. of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Meinardi
authors: Dept. of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Barletta
authors: Dept. of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors: Donald R
authors: DR
authors: Blake
keywords: Alberta; Emissions; Hematopoietic cancer; Industrial Heartland; Volatile organic compounds