Pollution characteristics and oxidative potential of atmospheric particles at a typical rural area: A case study during the Chinese Lunar New Year

Abstract

The emission from solid fuel combustion for cooking and heating has a direct influence on air quality in rural areas, especially in cold season. In this study, the pollution characteristics and chemical compositions of total suspended particle (TSP) were comprehensively studied in a typical rural area during the Chinese Lunar New Year as a case study. In addition, the environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) and oxidative potential (OP) in TSP were analyzed and compared before and after the festival (BF & AF) for better understanding the exposure risk of TSP. The average values of typical combustion products, such as carbonaceous components and PAHs, were at 2.5 times higher BF than those AF due to the impact of anthropogenic emission. The average EPFRs concentration BF was 2.78 ± 0.70 × 10¹⁵ spins/m³, whereas the concentration significantly decreased AF (1.07 ± 0.48 × 10¹⁵ spins/m³). The source analysis suggested that coal and biomass burning was the major source of EPFRs. The OP_v values were in the range of 0.85–10.1 nmol/min/m³ with an average of 3.74 nmol/min/m³, and the peak occurred at the eve of the festival. For OP_m, its mean value was up to 12.3 ± 7.8 pmol/min/μg and showed positive correlation with crustal elements (r values for Fe = 0.51 and Mn = 0.49, p < 0.05), indicating the effect of dust-input. In summary, this study provided basic information for better understanding the pollution characteristic and health risk of atmospheric particles.