AI Article Synopsis

  • The study focused on analyzing fine particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to understand air quality issues in the Seoul Metropolitan Area during a campaign from October to November 2021.
  • A significant finding was the identification of a "long-range transport factor," linked to air pollution sources from China, that contributed to elevated oxidative potential in the air, impacting health.
  • The research revealed that the levels of toxic substances peaked significantly during the monitoring period, indicating that external PM sources lead to higher pollution levels in Korea.

Article Abstract

In the context of air quality research, the collection and analysis of fine particulate matter (PM, with a diameter less than 2.5 μm) and volatile organic compound (VOCs) play a pivotal role in understanding and addressing environmental issues across the Korean Peninsula. PM and VOCs were collected over 4-hr intervals from October 17 to November 26, 2021 during the 2021 Satellite Integrated Joint Monitoring of Air Quality campaign at Olympic Park in the Republic of Korea to understand the factors controlling air quality over the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Source apportionment was performed using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model incorporating PM and VOCs. The factor identified by chlorinated VOCs as a major component was presumed to be due to transboundary influx and was referred to as the long-range transport factor. The long-range transport factor of PM was composed of NO, SO, NH, and di-carboxylic acids. Back trajectory analysis showed that the airflows originated from China and passed through the west coast of Korea to the Korean Peninsula. In the PMF results using PM and VOCs, long-range transport factors were identified in both analyses, and the high correlation observed between these factors confirms that they were transported from abroad. The dithiothreitol oxidation potential normalized to quinine showed the highest oxidation potential during the same period as the long-range transport factors increased. In conclusion, PM from external sources significantly contribute to elevated levels of dithiothreitol assay-oxidative potential (DTT-OP) in Korea. The toxic concentration, expressed as the mean ± standard deviation, was determined to be 0.29 ± 0.05 μM/m³, peaking at 0.39 μM/m³. This level is 1.8 times higher than that observed outside the event period. A notable increase in secondary pollutants was observed during these periods. These pollutants are known to enhance oxidative potential, thereby potentially impacting human health.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123666DOI Listing

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