Source apportionment and health risks assessment of black carbon Aerosols in an urban atmosphere in East India

Abstract

Black carbon (BC) along with PM_2.5 (fine particular matters) plays an important role in the assessment health effect of human beings. Winter season campaign measurements carried out for BC concentrations by using 7 different wavelengths such as 370, 470, 520, 590, 660, 880, and 950 nm, handy aethalometer (AE-33, Magee Scientific, USA), at two different locations i.e., National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur (NIT J) and Sakchi, Jamshedpur (SAK J), in eastern India. During the study period, the mass concentration of BC varies from 4.19 µgm⁻³ to 15.36 µgm⁻³, with an average mean of 8.88 ± 2.40 µgm⁻³ in NIT J and SAK J, the mass concentration of BC varies from 6.3 µgm⁻³ to 13.48 µgm⁻³, with an average mean of 10.29 ± 1.58 µgm⁻³. However, the concentration of PM_2.5 varies from 102.98 µgm⁻³to 198.21 µgm⁻³, with an average mean of 155.82 ± 29.98 µgm⁻³ in NIT J and SAK J, the concentration of PM_2.5 varies from 110.83 µgm⁻³ to 207.65 µgm⁻³, with an average mean of 169.14 ± 22.40 µgm⁻³. It was reported that SAK J has a higher BC concentration compared to NIT J. This was due to heavy traffic load and dense population in SAK J. Backward Trajectories were seen that the airborne particulate matter came from differerajeshnt directions. According to the diagnostic ratio analysis of BC, it was observed that most of the BC mass concentrations come from fossil-fuel (69.70%) followed by wood-burning (30.30%) in a particular place. The overall health risk assessment of BC concentration observed during the study period was 26.70, 13.95, 24.95 and 51.32 at NIT J as well as 32.07, 16.72, 29.95 and 61.87 at SAK J, the passive cigarettes comparable concerning the risk of CVM, LC, LBW, and PLEDSC, respectively.