Observations of BTEX in the ambient air of Kuala Lumpur by passive sampling

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2020-06, Vol.192 (6), p.342, Article 342
• Main Authors: Hamid, Haris Hafizal Abd, Latif, Mohd Talib, Uning, Royston, Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul Mohd, Khan, Md Firoz, Ta, Goh Choo, Kannan, Narayanan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzene; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental science; Ethylbenzene; Gas chromatography; Health risks; Human influences; Hydrocarbons; Mass spectrometry; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Organic compounds; Ozone; Ozone formation; p-Xylene; Photochemical effects; Photochemicals; Photochemistry; Ratios; Sampling; Sampling methods; Toluene; Urban environments; Vehicle emissions; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Xylene
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08311-4

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are well known hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their human health risks and photochemical effects. The main objective of this study was to estimate BTEX levels and evaluate interspecies ratios and ozone formation potentials (OFP) in the ambient air of urban Kuala Lumpur (KL) based on a passive sampling method with a Tenax® GR adsorbent tube. Analysis of BTEX was performed using a thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS). OFP was calculated based on the Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR). Results from this study showed that the average total BTEX during the sampling period was 66.06 ± 2.39 μg/m 3 . Toluene (27.70 ± 0.97 μg/m 3 ) was the highest, followed by m,p-xylene (13.87 ± 0.36 μg/m 3 ), o-xylene (11.49 ± 0.39 μg/m 3 ), ethylbenzene (8.46 ± 0.34 μg/m 3 ) and benzene (3.86 ± 0.31 μg/m 3 ). The ratio of toluene to benzene (T:B) is > 7, suggesting that VOCs in the Kuala Lumpur urban environment are influenced by vehicle emissions and other anthropogenic sources. The average of ozone formation potential (OFP) value from BTEX was 278.42 ± 74.64 μg/m 3 with toluene and xylenes being the major contributors to OFP. This study also indicated that the average of benzene concentration in KL was slightly lower than the European Union (EU)-recommended health limit value for benzene of 5 μg/m 3 annual exposure.