AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Assessing the Impact of Biomass Burning on Ambient Air Toxics and Ozone Concentration in the Pacific Northwest
ODELLE HADLEY, Anthony Cutler, Ruth Schumaker, Jenna Nelson, Robin Bond, Olympic Region Clean Air Agency
Abstract Number: 526 Working Group: Biomass Combustion: Emissions, Chemistry, Air Quality, Climate, and Human Health
Abstract The annual use of wood stoves for home heating in Thurston County creates emissions that cause ambient PM2.5 to approach, and occasionally exceed, the 24-hour PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The seasonal (Oct.-Mar.) PM2.5 measured in Thurston County (Lacey) is often equal to, or higher than, measurements in Tacoma and Seattle. In recent years, wildfires caused PM2.5 levels to reach unhealthy and very unhealthy levels for several consecutive days. Air samples were collected in Lacey, Washington between August 2018 and July 2019. Eastern Research Group (ERG) analyzed these samples for a suite of toxics, including carbonyls, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Continuous measurements of PM2.5, black carbon, carbon monoxide and ozone were made coincident with the air toxics sample collection. These air samples represented a wide range of air quality conditions in summer and winter, including days affected by wildfire smoke and emissions from local woodstove and outdoor burning. The chemical profile of air toxics associated with wildfire smoke significantly differed from local wood smoke. The role of meteorology, burn conditions, and smoke source and age are assessed in determining the level of PM2.5 toxicity associated with biomass burning.