Primary and secondary particulate matter intake fraction from different height emission sources

Publication date: September 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 165
Author(s): Fatema Parvez, Carmen Lamancusa, Kristina Wagstrom
This study uses intake fraction, the fraction of emissions that are inhaled, to compare potential particulate matter exposure among different height emission sources. We use the Particulate Matter Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) in the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) to estimate intake fraction for primary and secondary particulate matter species from different height emission sources. We develop an approach to quantify intake fraction for both primary and secondary particulate matter species emitted from all types of emission sources in the contiguous United States. To compute intake fraction for secondary particulate matter species, we consider the inhalation of the precursor gas and condensed species based on the common atomic unit between the emitted gas and particulate matter product. Our calculated intake fraction varies from 1.0 to 4.9 per million for primary particulate matter, 0.4 to almost 6.0 per million for secondary species, including inhalation of both particulate matter and the relevant precursor species. Intake fraction is consistently higher in the winter than the summer for all species from all emission heights. The shortest height sources, which include area sources, display intake fractions over an order of magnitude greater than more elevated sources.

Graphical abstract

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