Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SAAERO (SArajevo AEROsol Experiment: Composition, Sources and Health Effects of Atmospheric Aerosol)
Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31
The project SAAERO uses characterization of aerosol physico-chemical properties by means of state-of-the-art field and laboratory measurements and source apportionment methodology to investigate a global air pollution hotspot - Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The World Health Organization (WHO) identified air pollution as the world’s largest single environmental health risk causing seven million deaths yearly. The atmospheric particulate matter (PM) suspended in the atmosphere, or aerosol, has well documented detrimental effects on human health and air quality and is the key uncertainty in assessing the anthropogenic influence on climate change. Nowadays, of particular interest and concern are heavily polluted, and yet severely understudied, urban centres in emerging countries5. Particularly during the winter season, urban centres in countries of the Western Balkan region are experiencing some of the poorest European and global air quality. It is imperative to understand ambient aerosols sources and transformations in the counties of the Western Balkan in terms of their adverse health and transboundary effects. Specifically, characterization of aerosol physicochemical properties during long term measurements to elucidate their sources, atmospheric processing and health effects has never been done in B&H. Recorded aerosol ambient concentrations in the last decade show that pollution episodes during cold, heating seasons are becoming increasingly severe due to growth of the urban centres, indicating major environmental and public health crises while science-based characterization of poor air quality in B&H and its adverse health effects do not exist.
Specific objectives of the action - SAAERO project proposed here are:
SO1) Field measurements of PM2.5 will be conducted at Bjelave site in Sarajevo, B&H.
SO2) Laboratory measurements of PM2.5 chemical composition will be conducted for collected filter samples.
SO3) Source apportionment of PM2.5 will elucidate their emission sources, ambient processing and health effects through oxidative potential.
SO4) Compilation of Sarajevo PM2.5 physicochemical properties will explain its sources, processing and health effects.
Specific objectives of the action - SAAERO project proposed here are:
SO1) Field measurements of PM2.5 will be conducted at Bjelave site in Sarajevo, B&H.
SO2) Laboratory measurements of PM2.5 chemical composition will be conducted for collected filter samples.
SO3) Source apportionment of PM2.5 will elucidate their emission sources, ambient processing and health effects through oxidative potential.
SO4) Compilation of Sarajevo PM2.5 physicochemical properties will explain its sources, processing and health effects.
We performed field measurements of fine particulate matter PM2.5; used laboratory measurements of PM chemical composition for collected filter samples; performed source apportionment of PM2.5 to elucidate their emission sources, ambient processing and determine the effects on health through oxidative potential measurements. The data was analyzed and the database stored in a central and publicly available database.
SAAERO field measurements were conducted at the Bjelave supersite in Sarajevo, B&H from August 2022 through March 2023. Bjelave sampling site is located at the headquarters of the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute of B&H. This sampling site is an urban background site located within a mainly residential and densely populated part of the Sarajevo. High Volume Air Sampler was installed at Bjelave sampling site for collection of continuous, daily samples on quartz filters. Field measurements of PM2.5 included on-line, high-time resolution measurements of total carbon, black carbon (BC) with s Total Carbon Analyzer TCA08 and an Aethalometer AE33, respectively. Two state-of-the-art online instruments for monitoring of aerosol properties in real time were added to originally proposed instrumentation: Quadrupole Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor for determination of bulk aerosol chemical composition; and Xact 625i ambient metals monitor for determination of aerosol elemental composition. During SAAERO field measurements, the PSI mobile laboratory performed mobile and stationary measurements.
Filter-collected aerosol samples were shipped to IGE where they underwent the following laboratory analyses: OC/EC with thermal-optical analysis (EUSAAR2 thermal-optical protocol); inorganic anions (nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, and chloride) and cations (ammonium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and fluoride), and many tracer organic species; anhydrous monosaccharides (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan) and polyols; trace metals; and oxidative potential of PM in simulated lung fluid by two assays (DTT, AA). Off-line measurements were compared to on-line ones.
Q-ACSM measurements at the Bjelave site during the SAAERO field campaign determined bulk chemical composition of PM1. Averaged over the entire period of SAAERO field measurements, OA made up the majority of ambient aerosol mass loadings (60%), followed by sulphate (24%), nitrate (10%), ammonium (5%) and chloride (1%). Source apportionment of OA data from Q-ACSM resulted in three factors: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) (25% of total OA), oxygenated OA (OOA) (33%) and biomass burning OA (BBOA) (42%). Source apportionment of OA from the PSI mobile laboratory AMS revealed six factors. In addtion to the Q-ACSM factors, a cooking factor and a factor related to coal burning. To apportion the sources of the elemental fraction of PM2.5 we used highly time-resolved elemental composition data from Xact 625i in the winter period. Six sources of PM2.5 elements were identified: fireworks (1%), dust (2%), heavy oil / regional (33%), industrial (20%), traffic (4%) and biomass, aged and fresh (40%). BC concentrations in Sarajevo increased toward colder months due to increased biomass burning emissions and more stable conditions in the planetary boundary layer. Increased biomass burning contribution is evident from source apportionment analyses of BC and is much higher in Sarajevo (47 %) than other capitals in the region.
SAAERO field measurements were conducted at the Bjelave supersite in Sarajevo, B&H from August 2022 through March 2023. Bjelave sampling site is located at the headquarters of the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute of B&H. This sampling site is an urban background site located within a mainly residential and densely populated part of the Sarajevo. High Volume Air Sampler was installed at Bjelave sampling site for collection of continuous, daily samples on quartz filters. Field measurements of PM2.5 included on-line, high-time resolution measurements of total carbon, black carbon (BC) with s Total Carbon Analyzer TCA08 and an Aethalometer AE33, respectively. Two state-of-the-art online instruments for monitoring of aerosol properties in real time were added to originally proposed instrumentation: Quadrupole Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor for determination of bulk aerosol chemical composition; and Xact 625i ambient metals monitor for determination of aerosol elemental composition. During SAAERO field measurements, the PSI mobile laboratory performed mobile and stationary measurements.
Filter-collected aerosol samples were shipped to IGE where they underwent the following laboratory analyses: OC/EC with thermal-optical analysis (EUSAAR2 thermal-optical protocol); inorganic anions (nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, and chloride) and cations (ammonium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and fluoride), and many tracer organic species; anhydrous monosaccharides (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan) and polyols; trace metals; and oxidative potential of PM in simulated lung fluid by two assays (DTT, AA). Off-line measurements were compared to on-line ones.
Q-ACSM measurements at the Bjelave site during the SAAERO field campaign determined bulk chemical composition of PM1. Averaged over the entire period of SAAERO field measurements, OA made up the majority of ambient aerosol mass loadings (60%), followed by sulphate (24%), nitrate (10%), ammonium (5%) and chloride (1%). Source apportionment of OA data from Q-ACSM resulted in three factors: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) (25% of total OA), oxygenated OA (OOA) (33%) and biomass burning OA (BBOA) (42%). Source apportionment of OA from the PSI mobile laboratory AMS revealed six factors. In addtion to the Q-ACSM factors, a cooking factor and a factor related to coal burning. To apportion the sources of the elemental fraction of PM2.5 we used highly time-resolved elemental composition data from Xact 625i in the winter period. Six sources of PM2.5 elements were identified: fireworks (1%), dust (2%), heavy oil / regional (33%), industrial (20%), traffic (4%) and biomass, aged and fresh (40%). BC concentrations in Sarajevo increased toward colder months due to increased biomass burning emissions and more stable conditions in the planetary boundary layer. Increased biomass burning contribution is evident from source apportionment analyses of BC and is much higher in Sarajevo (47 %) than other capitals in the region.
Results from the SAAERO project will be published in scientific journals focusing on: a) PM2.5 carbonaceous aerosol composition; and b) source apportionment and health effects results. Some of the publications have been successfully published in scientific literature and we are working on 3 additional ones at the moment. Publication on carbonaceous aerosol composition will compare ambient concentrations of black carbon in four cities and elucidate black carbon contributions from incomplete combustion of emission sources such as those from traffic (liquid fuels, e.g. diesel) and wood burning. Publications on source apportionment and its health effects will focus on measurements performed with different instrumentation. For example, elemental composition measurements with Xact revealed six emission sources in Sarajevo in the winter of 2022-2023, while offline laboratory analyses of filter-collected aerosol determined aerosol bulk chemical composition and numerous source-specific markers such as metals, organic species and particulate oxidative potential. Online Q-ACSM measurements determined aerosol bulk composition and the source apportionment analysis of its organic aerosol revealed three factors. Finally, PSI mobile laboratory measurements revealed six emission factors in the city of Sarajevo from the source apportionment of AMS-measured organic aerosol, and will also be used for comparison of urban atmospheres in four different cities (Sarajevo, Zenica, Ljubljana and Zagreb).