Assessment of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) near major roads in urban Nanjing, China

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a major component of atmospheric pollutants in Nanjing, a large city in the east of China. Accordingly, 12-h diurnal monitoring for ten consecutive days was performed adjacent to major roads in five districts, ca.1.5 m above ground level, in April, July and October 2006, and January 2007. The most numerous species of VOCs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, o-xylene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, tetrachloromethane, trichloroethane and tetrachloroethane) were selected as the target pollutants for this field study of atmospheric distribution. The eleven VOCs were mostly found in gas phase due to their high vapor pressures. Gas-phase concentrations ranged between 0.6 and 67.9 μg m^− 3. Simultaneously, the levels of those VOCs measured near major roads were associated slightly with their regional background level. For all these areas, as expected, the high traffic area was the highest in terms of concentration. A positive correlation was also found between the VOC levels and traffic density. Our studies also provided VOC distribution, and vertical/horizontal profiles. The results show that traffic-related exposure to VOCs in major road microenvironments is higher than elsewhere and poses a potential threat to pedestrians, commuters, and traffic-exposed workers.