Effects of Floor Level and Building Type on Residential Levels of Outdoor and Indoor Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Black Carbon, and Particulate Matter in New York City

Atmoshphere

Kyung Hwa Jung¹  Kerlly Bernabé¹  Kathleen Moors¹  Beizhan Yan²  Steven N. Chillrud²  Robin Whyatt³  David Camann⁴  Patrick L. Kinney³  Frederica P. Perera³ 

[1] Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, PH8E, 630 W. 168 St. New York, NY 10032, USA; E-Mails:;Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Rt, 9W Palisades, NY 10964, USA; E-Mails:;Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, 60 Haven Ave.; B-1 New York, NY 10032, USA; E-Mails:;Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: vertical gradient;    floor level (FL);    building type;    heating season;    traffic-related air pollution;    polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs);    outdoor and indoor;   

DOI  :  10.3390/atmos2020096

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Consideration of the relationship between residential floor level and concentration of traffic-related airborne pollutants may predict individual residential exposure among inner city dwellers more accurately. Our objective was to characterize the vertical gradient of residential levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH; dichotomized into Σ₈PAH_semivolatile (MW 178-206), and Σ₈PAH_nonvolatile (MW 228-278), black carbon (BC), PM_2.5 (particulate matter) by floor level (FL), season and building type. We hypothesize that PAH, BC and PM_2.5 concentrations may decrease with higher FL and the vertical gradients of these compounds would be affected by heating season and building type. PAH, BC and PM_2.5 were measured over a two-week period outdoor and indoor of the residences of a cohort of 5–6 year old children (n = 339) living in New York City' Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. Airborne-pollutant levels were analyzed by three categorized FL groups (0–2nd, 3rd–5th, and 6th–32nd FL) and two building types (low-rise versus high-rise apartment building). Indoor Σ₈PAH_nonvolatile and BC levels declined with increasing FL. During the nonheating season, the median outdoor Σ₈PAH_nonvolatile, but not Σ₈PAH_{semivolatile,} level at 6th–2nd FL was 1.5–2 times lower than levels measured at lower FL. Similarly, outdoor and indoor BC concentrations at 6th–32nd FL were significantly lower than those at lower FL only during the nonheating season (p < 0.05). In addition, living in a low-rise building was associated significantly with higher levels of Σ₈PAH_nonvolatile and BC. These results suggest that young inner city children may be exposed to varying levels of air pollutants depending on their FL, season, and building type.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.