Publication details
Indoor and outdoor air polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations at homes and schools across a city downwind of a large industrial area
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Atmospheric Pollution Research |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1309104226001844 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2026.103068 |
| Keywords | Persistent organic pollutants; PCBs; Proximity; Industrial emissions; Indoor air |
| Description | This study aimed to assess Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) levels in indoor and outdoor air at schools and homes in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Izmir, the third most populous city in T & uuml;rkiye. Sampling locations were selected based on distance to an upwind major industrial area. Simple linear regression and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to investigate the effect of the industrial area by distance-concentration relationships and to infer sources for six homologue groups and total PCBs. Homologue-group median concentrations varied across locations, ranging from 7 to 116 pg m-3, 12 to 80, 5 to 130, and 22 to 156 pg m-3 in home indoor air, home outdoor air, school indoor air, and school outdoor air, with total PCB concentrations of 858, 392, 1120, and 792 pg m-3, respectively. Concentrations of lower molecular weight PCB congeners decrease with distance from the industrial area. In contrast, concentrations of hexa-and hepta-CBs show a reversed trend, resulting in a flat overall trend for total PCBs. The results of this study indicate that the effect of a major industrial area can be evidenced by distance relationship and PCA. Meanwhile, indoor PCB levels that were higher than outdoor air may together pose critical health risks city residents, demanding attention to both indoor and outdoor sources for city air quality management. |