Concentrations, health risks, and sources of hazardous air pollutants in Seoul-Incheon, a megacity area in Korea

Abstract We conducted ambient monitoring of various hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) for 2 years (2013-2015) in two adjacent Korean cities a megacity area: Seoul and Incheon. Measured HAPs included volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals (HMs). The objectives this study were to evaluate the spatiotemporal variations HAPs, prioritize based on health risks, identify sources using receptor-based model, estimate source-specific risks. Overall, HAP levels Incheon higher than those Seoul. concentrations combustion-origin such as PAHs some HMs, significantly during heating period non-heating period. However, most VOCs exhibited an opposite trend. Benzo[a]pyrene showed highest cancer risk both cities, followed by formaldehyde, arsenic, benzene; trichloroethylene was only species that exceeded hazard quotient 1. Cumulative risks 2.0 × 10 -4 2.7 Major their contributions each concentration estimated positive matrix factorization modeling. Based assessments, we suggest should give high priority control traffic pollution supply cleaner fuels non-residential sectors. Reducing carbonyl industrial emissions is also necessary. Establishing new standards benzo[a]pyrene formaldehyde worth considering long-term measure. This provides scientific information occurrence, large urban areas.