Ambient Particle Composition and Toxicity in 31 Major Cities in China
LU ZHANG, Maosheng Yao,
Peking University Abstract Number: 101
Working Group: Health-Related Aerosols
AbstractCurrent air quality assessment or control effectiveness is solely based on particulate matter (PM) mass levels, failing to consider their toxicity differences in terms with health benefits. Here, we collected a total of 465 automobile air conditioning (AC) filters from 31 major Chinese cities to study the composition and toxicity of PM at a national scale in China. Our results showed that normalized PM toxicity (NIOG) varied greatly up to 6.5 times difference with 31 cities, and was shown to correlate significantly with annual PM10 concentration, total fungi, SO42- and calcium element. The levels of chemical and biological components in PM were closely associated with some meteorological factors and gaseous pollutants such as SO2. Toxicity-adjusted PM levels are very different from pure mass levels especially for 55 μg/m3 and higher. Integrating toxicity factor, city-specific air pollution control strategy thus should be enacted to maximize health and economic co-benefits.