Web Release Date: April 13,
Atmospheric Outflow of Anthropogenic Semivolatile Organic Compounds from East Asia in Spring 2004
and
Departments of Chemistry and Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, University of Washington-Bothell, Bothell, Washington, Atmospheric Environmental Division, National Institute of Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan, and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
Received for review September 21, 2006
Revised manuscript received March 7, 2007
Accepted March 8, 2007
Abstract:
To estimate the emissions of anthropogenic semivolatile
organic compounds (SOCs) from East Asia and to identify
unique SOC molecular markers in Asian air masses, high-volume air samples were collected on the island of Okinawa,
Japan between 22 March and 2 May 2004. Contributions
from different source regions (China, Japan, the Koreas,
Russia, and ocean/local) were estimated by use of source
region impact factors (SRIFs). Elevated concentrations of
hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorcyclohexanes (HCHs),
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), and particulate-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were
attributed to air masses from China. A large proportion of
the variation in the current-use pesticides, gas-phase
PAHs, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations
was explained by meteorology. Chlordanes showed a
technical mixture profile and similar concentrations regardless
of source region. 
/
HCH and trans/cis chlordane
ratios did not vary significantly with different source
regions and had regional averages of 2.5 ± 1.0 and 1.2 ±
0.3, respectively. Particulate-phase PAH concentrations
were significantly correlated (p value < 0.05) with other
incomplete combustion byproduct concentrations, including
elemental mercury (Hg0), CO, NOx*, black carbon,
submicrometer aerosols, and SO2. By use of measured
PAH, CO, and black carbon concentrations and estimated
CO and black carbon emission inventories, the emission
of six carcinogenic particulate-phase PAHs was estimated
to be 1518-4179 metric tons/year for Asia and 778-1728
metric tons/year for China, respectively. These results confirm
that East Asian outflow contains significant emissions of
carcinogenic particulate-phase PAHs.
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