Benzene: A critical review on measurement methodology, certified reference material, exposure limits with its impact on human health and mitigation strategies.

Benzene is a carcinogenic pollutant with significant emission sources present in the atmosphere. The need for accurate and precise measurement of benzene in the atmosphere has become increasingly evident due to its toxicity and the adverse health effects associated with exposure to different concentrations. Certified reference material (CRM) is essential to establish the traceability of measurement results.

Source contribution of black carbon aerosol during 2020-2022 at an urban site in Indo-Gangetic Plain.

The extensive emissions of black carbon (BC) from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region of India have been well recognized. Particularly, biomass emissions from month-specific crop-residue burning (April, May, October, November) and heating activities (December-February) are considered substantial contributors to BC emissions in the IGP. However, their precise contribution to ambient BC aerosol has not been quantified yet and remains an issue of debate.

Comparative measurement of CO, CH and CO at two traffic interjunctions having inflated vehicular flow in Delhi.

Vehicular emissions are considered one of the major anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases and poor air quality in metropolitan cities. This study aims to see the correlation of CO, CH, and CO through monitoring over a period from December 2020 to October 2021 covering three seasons' winter, summer, and monsoon at two different traffic locations of Delhi having different traffic volumes, road patterns, and traffic management. The annual average morning concentration of CO, CH and CO was found (533 ± 105), (7.

Seasonal and diurnal measurement of ambient benzene at a high traffic inflation site in Delhi: Health risk assessment and its possible role in ozone formation pathways.

Benzene is the most toxic and hazardous pollutant among volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as it comes under group 1 carcinogens recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It also plays a significant role in forming secondary pollutants like ozone. The benzene concentration was measured using a charcoal sorbent tube by active sampling at a traffic junction and analysis was done using GC-FID.

The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on PM air quality in Northern Taiwan from Q1 2020 to Q2 2021.

The study aimed to investigate the PM variations in different periods of COVID-19 control measures in Northern Taiwan from Quarter 1 (Q1) 2020 to Quarter 2 (Q2) 2021. PM sources were classified based on long-range transport (LRT) or local pollution (LP) in three study periods: one China lockdown (P1), and two restrictions in Taiwan (P2 and P3). During P1 the average PM concentrations from LRT (LRT-PM) were higher at Fuguei background station by 27.

Physical and chemical properties of PM in Delhi: A comparison between clean and polluted days.

Considering the significance of PM aerosol in assessing health impacts of air pollution, an extensive analysis of PM samples collected at an urban site in Delhi is presented in this study. Overall, PM contributed to about 50 % of PM mass which is alarming especially in Delhi where particle mass loadings are usually higher than prescribed limits. Major portion of PM consisted of organic matter (OM) that formed nearly 47 % of PM mass.

Size distributions of n-alkanes, fatty acids and fatty alcohols in springtime aerosols from New Delhi, India.

Size-segregated aerosol samples were collected in New Delhi, India from March 6 to April 6, 2012. Homologous series of n-alkanes (CC), n-fatty acids (CC) and n-alcohols (CC) were measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results showed a high-variation in the concentrations and size distributions of these chemicals during non-haze, haze, and dust storm days.

Molecular Markers of Secondary Organic Aerosol in Mumbai, India.

Biogenic secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are generally considered to be more abundant in summer than in winter. Here, polar organic marker compounds in urban background aerosols from Mumbai were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, we found that concentrations of biogenic SOA tracers at Mumbai were several times lower in summer (8-14 June 2006; wet season; n = 14) than in winter (13-18 February 2007; dry season; n = 10).

Comparison of abundances, compositions and sources of elements, inorganic ions and organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols from Xi'an and New Delhi, two megacities in China and India.

Wintertime TSP samples collected in the two megacities of Xi'an, China and New Delhi, India were analyzed for elements, inorganic ions, carbonaceous species and organic compounds to investigate the differences in chemical compositions and sources of organic aerosols. The current work is the first time comparing the composition of urban organic aerosols from China and India and discussing their sources in a single study. Our results showed that the concentrations of Ca, Fe, Ti, inorganic ions, EC, PAHs and hopanes in Xi'an are 1.

Quantification of ziram and zineb residues in fog-water samples.

The present paper describes the extractive quantification of zinc-dithiocarbamate fungicides, i.e. ziram (zinc bis-dimethyldithiocarbamate) and zineb (zinc ethylene-1,2-bis-dithiocarbamate) in fog-water samples.

Specific determination of ferbam residues in fog-water.

A specific method for the determination of a fungicide, i.e. iron(III) dimethyldithiocarbamate (ferbam) in fog-water samples is described.

Chemical closure study on hygroscopic properties of urban aerosol particles in Sapporo, Japan.

To assess the link between hygroscopicity of atmospheric particles and the chemical composition, we performed a chemical closure study on the hygroscopicity of organic-inorganic mixed particles nebulized from water extracts of ambient aerosols collected in Sapporo, Japan during summer 2005. The hygroscopicity of 100 nm particles was measured using a hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) at 5-95% relative humidity. The chemical analyses of the extracts showed that inorganic salts accounted for 32-84% of the water-soluble fraction and that the remaining was water-soluble organic matter (WSOM).

Field enhancements of packed-bed performance for low-concentration acidic and basic-waste gases from semiconductor manufacturing process.

Low-concentration acidic and basic-waste gas pollutants contribute significantly in the total emission of a facility. Previous results show that the control of high volumetric flow rate (approximately 500 m3/min), low-concentration acidic (< 1 ppm by vol) and basic (< 3 ppm by vol) gases from semiconductor process vent, by conventional wet scrubbing technique is a challenging task. This work was targeted to enhance the performance of packed beds for high-volumetric flow rate, low-concentration acidic (HF, HCl), and basic (NH3)-waste gases from the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Efficient control system for low-concentration inorganic gases from a process vent stream: application of surfactants in spray and packed columns.

Control of low-concentration pollutants from a semiconductor process vent stream using a wet-scrubbing technique is a challenging task to meet Taiwan environmental emission standards. An efficient wet-scrubber is designed on a pilot scale and tested to control low concentration acid and base waste-gas emission. The scrubber system consisted of two columns, i.

Inorganic acid emission factors of semiconductor manufacturing processes.

A huge amount of inorganic acids can be produced and emitted with waste gases from integrated circuit manufacturing processes such as cleaning and etching. Emission of inorganic acids from selected semiconductor factories was measured in this study. The sampling of the inorganic acids was based on the porous metal denuders, and samples were then analyzed by ion chromatography.

Simultaneous sampling of gas- and aerosol-phase TDI with a triple filter system.

A new triple filter system sampler/model is proposed for the precise and accurate simultaneous sampling and determination of gas- and aerosol-phase 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI). The system consists of two front Teflon filters for sampling aerosol-phase TDI and a final coated glass fiber filter to collect gas-phase TDI. The aerosol-phase TDI is collected on the first Teflon filter, while the second Teflon filter is used to estimate gaseous TDI adsorbed by the first.

The effect of environmental conditions and electrical charge on the weighing accuracy of different filter materials.

Different filter materials and electrical charge elimination methods were used to investigate the weighing accuracy of filter papers under different environmental conditions. The results show that the standard deviations (S.D.