Characterization of Airborne Metals in a Pennsylvania Urban-Industrial Area: Polluted Background and Exposures to Fenceline Communities
MINA TEHRANI, Edward Fortner, Benjamin Werden, Tara Yacovitch, Ellis Robinson, Roger Sheu, Scott Van Bramer, Thomas Burke, Kirsten Koehler, Keeve Nachman, Ana Rule, Peter F. DeCarlo,
Johns Hopkins University Abstract Number: 545
Working Group: Health-Related Aerosols
AbstractThe Chester-Trainer-Marcus Hook Pennsylvania area is home to a refinery, waste incinerator, and petrochemical plants, some abutting residential communities. EPA analyses indicate that trace metal emissions from local industries pose major health risks. Existing information on metals air pollution in the area is based on 1/6-day filter sampling at two sites and EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) modeling, which incorporates industry self-reporting. Incomplete data are available regarding fenceline community exposures. This study aimed to 1) compare current size-resolved metals concentrations in particulate matter (PM) in the Chester-Trainer-Marcus Hook area with existing reports, and 2) explore source identification using fixed-site and mobile measurements. Size-segregated integrated PM was collected on filters via micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) at a Widener University fixed-site during a 3-week campaign in September 2021 and analyzed by ICP-MS. On-line aerosol measurements were conducted by Soot Particle AMS via mobile laboratory. NATA-estimated concentrations of metals in total PM were lower (p<0.001) than fixed-site measurements for arsenic, lead, antimony, cobalt, chromium and manganese. Toxic trace elements arsenic, lead and cadmium were predominantly observed in fine PM (<1 μm), the fraction which can penetrate deeply into the lungs. Strong correlations (r
s > 0.6) between MOUDI and mobile measurements at the fixed site were found for lead, aluminum, potassium and selenium. Elevated metals levels (e.g., cadmium, arsenic and lead) were observed near the waste incinerator and Marcus Hook refinery complex. These results suggest potential co-exposures to toxic trace elements in communities surrounding the Chester-Trainer-Marcus Hook industrial area, with levels of six metals significantly exceeding NATA estimates. Further work is needed to characterize the cumulative risk of these inhalation exposures.