Characterisation of volatile organic compounds in an urban atmosphere influenced by industrial emissions: from identification to contribution of sources

Continuous hourly measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from C2 to C10 were performed in Dunkerque, northern France from August 2002 to September 2003. The receptor site was chosen to be influenced by both urban and industrial VOC emissions. First the analysis of concentrations according to the wind direction has allowed to prove this double influence for benzene and octane whereas seasonal and daily time series have only permitted to formulate hypotheses. Secondly the scatter plots of compounds versus acetylene, a traffic exhaust tracer, have confirmed this double origin for the two compounds. Then a simple regression analysis has allowed to reach the hydrocarbon/acetylene ratio characterizing the traffic exhaust source. Finally this traffic exhaust ratio has been used to achieve the traffic exhaust contribution to individual hydrocarbon levels. The industrial contribution in benzene and octane ambient levels could reach 80% for some wind directions, showing the role of meteorological conditions. This observation must be taken cautiously because of the weak frequency of the concerned wind directions. (author)