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NEW YORK CITY BUS TERMINAL DIESEL EMISSIONS STUDY: MEASUREMENT AND COLLECTION OF DIESEL EXHAUST FOR CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY
Citation:
Burton, R., J. Suggs, R. Jungers, AND J. Lewtas. NEW YORK CITY BUS TERMINAL DIESEL EMISSIONS STUDY: MEASUREMENT AND COLLECTION OF DIESEL EXHAUST FOR CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-87/180 (NTIS PB87195384).
Description:
The paper is concerned with the impact of diesel emissions on the quality of the ambient air and the resulting effects on human health. The study was designed to chemically characterize and bioassay heavy-duty diesel engine exhaust as it exists in the ambient atmosphere. Diesel emission aerosol was collected inside and outside a large New York City bus terminal in which 1400 buses operated daily. Organics were extracted from inside and outside particulate matter and were fractionated into chemical classes. Air particle concentration inside the building was nearly 3 times greater than outside with the increase in the <1.7 micron particle size. Although both the small particle and extractable organic concentrations were lower outside the terminal, the mutagenicity of the organics (revertants/microgram organics) from outside was nearly 10 times greater than inside the terminal. Results are consistent with studies showing that aged atmospheric organics, having undergone atmospheric transformations, have an increased mutagenic response over fresh aerosol emitted directly from combustion sources.