Quantification of perfluorinated compounds in atmospheric particulate shows potential connection with environmental event

A method of quantification of perfluorinated compounds(PFCs)from atmospheric particulate matter(APM)is described.A single step pretreatment method,selective pressurized liquid extraction(SPLE),was developed to reduce the high matrix background and avoid contamination from commonly used multiple sample pretreatment steps.An effective sorbent was selected to purify the PFCs during SPLE,followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC–MS/MS),for quantification of PFCs.Conditions affecting the SPLE efficiency,including temperature,static extraction time,and number of extraction cycles used,were studied.The optimum conditions were found to be 120℃,10 min,and 3 cycles,respectively.LC-MS/MS method was developed to obtain the optimal sensitivity specific to PFCs.The method detection limits(MDLs)were 0.006 to 0.48 ng/g for the PFCs studied and the linear response range was from 0.1 to 100 ng/g.To ensure accurate values were obtained,each step of the experiment was evaluated and controlled to prevent contamination.The optimized method was tested by performing spiking experiments in natural particulate matter matrices and good rates of recovery and reproducibility were obtained for all target compounds.Finally,the method was successfully used to measure 16 PFCs in the APM samples collected in Beijing over five years from 2015 to 2019.It is observed that some PFCs follow the trend of total PFC changes,and can be attributed to the environment influencing events and policy enforcement,while others don't seem to change as much with time of the year or from year to year.

Concentrations,sources,and influential factors of water-soluble ions of atmospheric particles in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes,a world heritage site in China

Atmospheric particle pollution is one of the major factors leading to degradation of ancient wall paintings,particularly heritage sites in arid and semi-arid regions.However,current systematic research on the changes,sources,and influential factors of atmospheric particulate matter and its water-soluble ion concentrations is not sufficient.Thus,the major water-soluble ion concentrations,sources,and influential factors of atmospheric particles PM_(2.5) and PM_(10)(particulate matter with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter≤2.5 and 10.0μm,respectively,in ambient air)were collected from Cave 16 and its ambient exterior environment in the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes,China,between April 2015 and March 2016.Results showed that the concentrations of PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) inside and outside the cave were the highest in March 2016 and the lowest in December 2015.The higher particle concentration from March to May was related to the frequent occurrence of sand and dust events,and the lower particle concentration from June to September was associated with good diffusion conditions,increased precipitation,and an established cave shelterbelt.The concentration of particulate matter inside the cave was affected by the concentration of particles in the air outside the cave.Ca2+,NH+4,Na+,Cl-,and SO2-4were the main components of the total ions of PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) both inside and outside the cave.The total ions inside the cave were frequently affected by the disturbance of tourists'activities during the peak tourist season from May to August.Under the influence of dust,the total concentrations of Cl-,SO2-4,Na+,NH+4,and Ca2+in particles of different sizes inside and outside the cave increased,and the concentrations of Cl-,SO2-4,Na+,and Ca2+decreased during precipitation period.Backward air mass trajectory analysis suggested that the pollutants were mainly from Xinjiang,China.The pollutant sources of air particulates are straw burning,secondary pollution sources,soil dust,dry spring rivers,and tourist activities.