Ambient PM_(10), PM_(2.5), Inorganic Elements and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Concentrations at a Traffic Impacted Site in Cairo

摘要

Studies that investigate the environmental health risks to Cairo residents invariably concludethat particulate matter and lead are the area's major health hazards. As part of the Cairo AirImprovement Project (CAIP), which was implemented by a team led by ChemonicsInternational and funded by USAID in partnership with the Egyptian Environmental AffairsAgency (EEAA), an ambient air network consisting of 36 monitoring sites was established.This network started its work on October 1998 for monitoring ambient PM_(10) and PM_(2.5).Samples were also analyzed for lead. In addition, a source attribution study (SAS) was alsoconducted for the Greater Cairo (GC) area through CAIP by the Desert Research Institute(DRI), Reno, Nevada. This SAS study was conducted in 1999 and 2002. One of the resultsof this study was the attribution of lead and other inorganic elements, which can affect thehealth risk of the pollutants of the Greater Cairo (GC) area. Measurments of PolycyclicAromatic Hydrocarbons were also performed duing these intensive measurement periods.This paper describes the ambient PM_(10), PM_(2.5), SO_2, NO_2, inorganic elements, VOCs, andpolycyclic hydrocarbons concentrations over a period of several years for the Quallaly Squarearea. This square is considered the heaviest traffic site in the GC area, with PM_(10)concentrations that can exceed 700 μg/m~3.