title: Particle size distribution and gas-particle partitioning of polychlorinated biphenyls in the atmosphere in Beijing, China.
abstract: Size-fractionated samples of urban particulate matter (PM; ≤1.0, 1.0-2.5, 2.5-10, and >10 μm) and gaseous samples were simultaneously obtained to study the distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the atmosphere in Beijing, China. Most recent investigations focused on the analysis of gaseous PCBs, and much less attention has been paid to the occurrence of PCBs among different PM fractions. In the present study, the gas-particle partitioning and size-specific distribution of PCBs in atmosphere were investigated. The total concentrations (gas + particle phase fractions) of Σ12dioxin-like PCBs, Σ7indicator PCBs, and ΣPCBs were 1.68, 42.1, and 345 pg/m3, respectively. PCBs were predominantly in the gas phase (86.8-99.0 % of the total concentrations). The gas-particle partition coefficients (Kp) of PCBs were found to be a significant linear correlated with the subcooled liquid vapor pressures (PL0) (R2= 0.83, P < 0.01). The slope (mr) implied that the gas-particle partitioning of PCBs was affected both by the mechanisms of adsorption and absorption. In addition, the concentrations of PCBs increased as the particle size decreased (>10, 2.5-10, 1.0-2.5, and ≤1.0 μm), with most of the PCBs contained in the fraction of ≤1.0 μm (53.4 % of the total particulate concentrations). Tetra-CBs were the main homolog in the air samples in the gas phase and PM fractions, followed by tri-CBs. This work will contribute to the knowledge of PCBs among different PM fractions and fill the gap of the size distribution of particle-bound dioxin-like PCBs in the air.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors: Qingqing
authors: Q
authors: Zhu
authors: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China. zhengmh@rcees.ac.cn.|Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China. zhengmh@rcees.ac.cn.
authors: Minghui
authors: M
authors: Zheng
authors: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors: Guorui
authors: G
authors: Liu
authors: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors: Xian
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors: Shujun
authors: S
authors: Dong
authors: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors: Lirong
authors: L
authors: Gao
authors: Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China.
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Liang
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D000068476:Beijing; D002681:China; D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004147:Dioxins; D005740:Gases; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Atmospheric pollution; Gas–particle partitioning; Particulate matter; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Size distribution; Urban pollution