Occurrences and Potential Sources of Halogenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Associated with PM2.5 in Mumbai, India

Occurrences of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs and BrPAHs, respectively) in fine aerosol particulate matter <2.5 mu m in diameter were investigated in urban and suburban sites in Mumbai, India; and the possible sources from association with indicators, such as hopanes, steranes, and trace elements are discussed. The mean concentrations of total ClPAHs and BrPAHs were 0.54 and 0.25 ng/m(3) in the urban site and 0.16 and 0.02 ng/m(3) in the suburban site during the campaign, respectively. The variations in total Cl-/BrPAH concentrations showed a similar trend between the urban and suburban sites, whereas the composition profiles varied in each air sample. The relationships between the concentrations among individual compounds in the urban site suggest that dominant sources of Cl-/BrPAHs could be common to PAHs but not in the suburban site. Principal component analysis using the data set of certain compounds showed that Cl-/BrPAH concentrations in urban and suburban sites are occasionally driven by specific sources of either coal combustion or traffic emissions. In contrast, most air samples during the campaign could be attributed to a mix of those sources. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;00:1-9. (c) 2021 SETAC