PM1 Risk in an Industrial Corridor in Louisiana
BENJAMIN WERDEN, Benjamin A. Nault, Edward Fortner, Ellis Robinson, Amira Yassine, Shivang Agarwal, Mina Tehrani, Andrea Chiger, Carolyn Gigot, Elizabeth Lunny, Joseph Roscioli, Scott Herndon, Tara Yacovitch, Ana Rule, Conner Daube, Thomas Burke, Megan Claflin, Kirsten Koehler, Keeve Nachman, Peter F. DeCarlo, Johns Hopkins University
Abstract Number: 524
Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
Abstract
Residents of the Ascension, Iberville, St. James, and St. John the Baptist Parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana are disproportionately exposed to industrial pollution including several carcinogens and chemicals linked to other adverse health outcomes. The US EPA has identified this corridor as among those regions with the poorest air quality in the country. To characterize air pollutant sources and their impact on the health of people in surrounding neighborhoods, the Louisiana Hazardous Air Pollutant Monitoring and Assessment Project (LA HAP-MAP) used a mobile laboratory outfitted with a suite of measurements tools with high spatial and temporal resolution to quantity air quality in the industrial corridor in February 2023. The 2023 campaign primarily focused on measurements of known carcinogens, including metals and volatile organic compounds. To quantify the health risks resulting from exposures to particulate matter (PM) in these regions, we sought to understand organic and inorganic aerosol concentrations, size, and chemical composition, with focus on submicron PM1 species. We measured aerosol components using a soot particle high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer; these measurements were then processed by positive matrix factorization to determine likely source factors. The observed species and source factors were cross-analyzed with measurement location and wind metrics using mapping tools to determine the likely sources for a variety of aerosol species. We measured air pollutant levels in the study region that could also elicit other non-cancer adverse health outcomes. We use toxicological metrics to convert these aerosol concentrations into estimates of lifetime risks and non-cancer hazards faced by residents of these areas. These measurements and metrics inform the local populations of the local impact of industrial pollution. This knowledge will enable community members and policy makers to understand their risk and activate change.