Analysis of black carbon, particulate matter, and gaseous pollutants in an industrial area in Korea Hee-Jong Yoo a , Jungkon Kim b , Seung-Muk Yi c , Kyung-Duk Zoh c, * a Incheon Institute of Public Health and Environment, Incheon, Republic of Korea b Institute of Health & Environment, School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea c Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea article info Article history: Received 18 June 2010 Received in revised form 29 January 2011 Accepted 17 February 2011 Keywords: Black carbon PM 2.5 BTEX Principal component analysis Cluster analysis abstract Continuous mass concentrations of black carbon (BC), particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ), CO, NO 2 , SO 2 , benzene, toluene, and xylene were measured in an industrial area in Incheon City, Korea. Principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that PC1 had high contributions from PM 10 , PM 2.5 , CO, and benzene (31.225%), and was strongly associated with vehicular emissions and industrial sources, the major contributors to air pollution in Incheon. PC2 was heavily enriched with NO 2 and BC (24.555%), and was attributed to emissions from vehicles such as buses, vans, taxis, cars, motorcycles, and trucks. PC3 was highly enriched with toluene and xylene (20.884%), and thus represented solvent usage. PC4 was enriched with SO 2 (12.884%), which could be attributed to the high S content in diesel fuel used in trucks, which may contribute to the high ambient levels of SO 2 in the city. Cluster analysis (CA) revealed four subgroups: Cluster 1 (SO 2 ), Cluster 2 (toluene and xylene), Cluster 3 (NO 2 and BC), and Cluster 4 (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , CO, and benzene), which agree with the PCA results. This study showed that benzene had a higher correlation with PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and CO than toluene and xylene, providing insights into source contribu- tions that, together with a source-species atmospheric dispersion model, can be used to devise new control strategies for industrial urban areas. Our results suggest that appropriate vehicle emission management coupled with industrial air pollution control should be applied to fine particulate (PM 2.5 ) and gaseous pollutants including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in the study area. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Atmospheric aerosols, or particulate matter (PM), are a chemi- cally complex and dynamic mixture of solid and liquid particles. Sources of PM include both natural and anthropogenic processes, e.g., sea salt spray, soil from wind-blown dust, combustion-gener- ated particles, and photochemically produced particles. Due to its diverse sources, PM has various morphologies and compositions. It can contain combinations of inorganic ions, elemental carbons (black soot), various trace elements, crustal compounds, organic compounds, and biological matter. The diameter of atmospheric PM can range from nanometers to a hundred micrometers. PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 mm or less (PM 2.5 ) is usually designated as fine particles. PM 2.5 , in particular, is being studied with growing concern. Studies have shown correlations between PM 2.5 mass and human health outcomes (morbidity and mortality) (Dockery et al., 1993; Seaton et al., 1995; Ackermann-Liebrich et al., 1997; Gwynn et al., 2000; Pope et al., 2002). Black carbon (BC), representing the fraction of carbonaceous material that absorbs visible light, is a major contributor to fine particle mass, and is a byproduct of all incomplete combustion processes. Most atmospheric BC is of anthropogenic origin (Chow et al., 1996; Kirchstetter et al., 1999). Particulate organic compounds play important roles in atmospheric chemistry and impact regional air pollution, climate change, and human health (Quinn et al., 2005; Tabazadeh, 2005). Molecular markers of organic aerosols, defined as chemically inert and source-specific compounds, have been applied as tracers over the past decade to quantitatively assess source contributions to particulate matter concentrations in the atmosphere (Cass, 1998; Schauer et al., 1996; Schauer and Cass, 2000). Also, atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important species affecting air chemistry on regional and global scales (Singh, 1999). Enhanced emissions of VOCs from various anthropogenic sources have not only reduced air quality in source regions, but have also altered the composition of the atmosphere in remote regions through medium- and long-distance transport * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ82 11 449 0363; fax: þ82 32 440 5479. E-mail address: zohkd@snu.ac.kr (K.-D. Zoh). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Atmospheric Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/atmosenv 1352-2310/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.02.049 Atmospheric Environment 45 (2011) 7698e7704