The purpose of this study is to characterize the ambient levels of VOC (volatile
organic compounds) in the atmosphere of Busan in Korea. In this study, VOC in
the ambient air were measured at four sites (one in the industrial area, three in
the residential area). Measurements were made seasonally, and ambient sampling
was undertaken continuously for ten consecutive days in each of four seasons
from summer of 2015 to the spring of 2016. Temporal and locational variations
of VOC were investigated, and compared with those in other industrial areas
previously reported in other studies.
A total of 66 compounds including naphthalene were determined as target VOC,
and each sample was collected for 2 hours on double sorbent tube at 100 mL/min
sequently using FLEC air pump. VOC samples adsorbed on the tubes were analyzed by automatic thermal desorption coupled with GC/MSD (HP 6890 /
5973, Hewlett Packard Inc., USA). The measurement method of VOC in this
study was principally based on the U.S. EPA method TO-17.
VOC concentrations in the industrial area(Hakjang-dong) appeared to be higher
than those in the residential area. In particular, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene,
xylene, trichloroethylene, 1,2-dichloropropane, methyl tert-butyl ether and
N,N-dimethylformamide concentrations of industrial area appeared to be high level
in Korea, being attributed to the local emission sources of pollution adjacent to
the sampling site. Seasonal distribution of VOC concentration did not show a
consistent pattern. Annual concentrations of benzene, one of the most important
carcinogenic VOC, was 0.50 ppb. This is lower than a suggested standard
concentration of 1.5 ppb, which be implemented in Korea.
The source apportionment of VOC concentrations in 4 sites were conducted by
using multivariate techniques. As a result of a principal component analysis, it
was possible to identify several factors affecting the variations of VOC
concentrations, which are vehicle emission, solvent, fuel combusion. It was further
found that the solvent and vehicle emission are the most important factors
contributing to the variability of VOC concentrations in the atmosphere.
As a result of the risk assessment, it was concluded that the risk of
carcinogenicity was regulated by benzene, trichloroethylene, ethylbenzene,
naphtalene, 1,2-dichloropropane, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, chloroform
exceeding 10-6 at the hazard level of 95%, and it was concluded that the risk of
noncarcinogenicity was regulated by trichloroethylene exceeding 1 at the hazard
level of 95%. In the case of Busan, it is thought that trichloroethylene should be
designated as the first management substance.