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Comparison of trace elements in size-fractionated particles in two communities with contrasting socioeconomic status in Houston, TX

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Abstract

Levels of ambient air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), are often higher in low-socioeconomic status (SES) communities than in high-SES communities. Houston is the fourth largest city in the USA and is home to a large petrochemical industry, an active port, and congested roadways, which represent significant emission sources of air pollution in the region. To compare levels of air pollution between a low-SES and a high-SES community, we simultaneously collected a 7-day integrated size-fractionated PM between June 2013 and November 2013. We analyzed PM mass and elements for three particle size modes: quasi-ultrafine particles (quasi-UFP) (aerodynamic diameter <0.25 μm), accumulation mode particles (0.25–2.5 μm), and coarse mode particles (>2.5 μm). Concentrations of vanadium, nickel, manganese, and iron in the quasi-UFP mode were significantly higher in the low-SES community than in the high-SES community. In the accumulation and coarse modes, concentrations of crustal elements and barium were also significantly higher in the low-SES community compared to the high-SES community. These findings suggest that people living in the low-SES community may experience higher exposures to some toxic elements as compared to people in the high-SES community.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by the CDC/NIOSH 2T42OH008421 and the Office of the Dean, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, Houston, TX. We would like to thank Dr. Wei-Yeong Wang and Nepal Ramesh of the Bureau of Pollution Control and Prevention in the Houston Health Department for access to the air sampling site located in Clinton Drive, Houston, TX, between June 2013 and November 2013.

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  1. Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, 1200 Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Inkyu Han, Yuncan Guo, Masoud Afshar, Thomas H. Stock & Elaine Symanski

  2. Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, 1200 Pressler Street, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Inkyu Han, Masoud Afshar, Thomas H. Stock & Elaine Symanski

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  1. Inkyu Han
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  2. Yuncan Guo
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Correspondence to Inkyu Han.

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Han, I., Guo, Y., Afshar, M. et al. Comparison of trace elements in size-fractionated particles in two communities with contrasting socioeconomic status in Houston, TX. Environ Monit Assess 189, 67 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5780-2

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