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Monitoring Air Toxic Particulate Pollutants from Heavily Trafficked New 

Jersey Turnpike (EPA Grant XA 97268501)

Francisco Artigas1, Ph.DJin Y. Shin1, Ph.DYuan Gao2, Ph.D

1Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI), Lyndhurst, NJ2Rutgers University, Newark, NJ

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Funding Support

USEPA Agreement # XA 97268501

• Mike Jones, Air Toxics Monitoring Program, Triangle Park, NC, 

• Marion Hoyer, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Ann Arbor, MI Raymond Werner, Reema Loutan, Roch Baamonde and Maria Flores‐Collazo EPA Region II New York Office

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Introduction

NJ turnpike connects New York and Philadelphia with more than 1/2 million cars per day.

Traffic emissions have lead to elevated concentration of HAPs near highways compared to the average urban background

This study measured pollutant levels at different distances from the NJ turnpike, seasonal effects and traffic and weather effects on PAH’s, TSP and PM2.5 and associated metals

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Objective

• Measure ambient concentration gradients of PM2.5 ,TSP, 

PAHs and their associated Trace Metals at different distances 

from the NJ Turnpike. 

• Determine how particulate concentration from vehicle 

emission is affected by seasons, day/night, traffic flow 

variations and meteorological conditions.

• Design and test a visualization tool for interactively displaying 

spatial‐temporal patterns of highway Air quality. 

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Experimental Design

• Sampling Periods: 

09/07‐09/08 with EPA 6‐day Monitoring Schedule

• Sampling Duration: 

‐Long term: 24 hrs (12 months)‐Intensive: 12 hrs (one week in each season)

• Sampling  Distances: 

50, 100 and 150 m from TPK

Carlstadt, New Jersey Turnpike

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Measured Variables

PM2.5, TSP and PAHs

Distance (m)

Season

50 100 150 Summer Winter Day Night Weekday Weekend

Intensive sampling

only

Diurnal Week

Traffic Meteorological conditions

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Sampling Sites: A, B, and C

A: 50 mA: 50 m B: 100 mB: 100 m C: 150 mC: 150 m

TurnpikeTurnpike

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PM2.5, TSP, 16 PAHs & 10 Trace Metals Sampling

Hi-vol. Sampler:• Model: Tisch‐PNY1123

• Flow rate: 0.5~0.7 m³/min

• Duration: 24 hours

• Media: Quartz Fiber Filter and PUFs (3” height)

• Compounds: TSP, PAHs

PM2.5 Sampler:• Model: Partisol‐FRM 2000

• Flow rate: 16.7 L/min

• Duration: 24 hours

• Media: PTFE Filter (47 mm ID) 

• Compounds: PM2.5 and Metals

TSP & PAH(p)PM2.5 & Metals PAH(g)

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Schematic Diagram of Cascade Impactor

MRS Model 100 has 8 cut off size : 0.18, 0.32, 0.56, 1.0, 1.8, 3.2, 5.6 and 10 um Marple & Olson, KONA, 2009

MOUDI (Micro Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor) - Particle size distribution measurement

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Distance effects

PM2.5, TSP and PAH

11Sampling Time (09/07-09/08)

Sep Oct

Nov Dec

Jan Feb

Mar Apr

May Jun

Jul Aug

Sep Oct

PM2.

5 (u

g/m

3 )

0

10

20

30

40

5050m100m150m

Distance effect PM2.524 hour average

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Distance Effect on Three Metals in PM2.5

A, 50 mB, 100m

C, 150 mA, 50 m

B, 100mC, 150 m

A, 50 mB, 100m

C, 150 m

Met

al C

onc.

(ng/

m3 )

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70Zn Pb V

13

P 2.5

TSP

Sampling Date (09/07-09/08)

Sep Oct

Nov Dec

Jan Feb

Mar Apr

May Jun

Jul Aug

Sep Oct

TSP

(ug/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

18050 m100 m150 m

Distance effect TSP24 hour average

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Sampling Time (09/07-09/08)

Sep Oct

Nov Dec

Jan Feb

Mar Apr

May Jun

Jul Aug

Sep Oct

PAH

(ng/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

10050 m100 m150 m

Distance effect on PAH24 hour average

15

PAHs and TSP 24 hrs Average Ambient Air Concentration at Site A

Sampling Date (09/07-09/08)Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

TSP

(ug/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

PAH

(ng/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

120TSP PAH

TSP Guideline, 120 ug/m3 (WHO)

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Sampling Time (09/07-09/08)Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

PM2.

5 (u

g/m

3 )

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

PAH

s (n

g/m

3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

120 PM2.5 PAHs PM2.5 EPA Guideline

PM2.5 and PAH 24 hrs Average Ambient Air Concentration at Site A

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Traffic effects

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Total Traffic Count  Effects on PAH, TSP and PM2.5

16PAH=0.0007Traffic-31.91 (r²=0.19, p<0.001)

Total Traffic, count/day6.0e+4 7.0e+4 8.0e+4 9.0e+4 1.0e+5 1.1e+5 1.2e+5 1.3e+5

PA

Hs

(ng/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

Total Traffic, count/day 6.0e+4 7.0e+4 8.0e+4 9.0e+4 1.0e+5 1.1e+5 1.2e+5 1.3e+5

PM2.

5 (ng

/m3 )

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

TSP=0.0012Traffic-58.26

(r²=0.18, p<0.001)

PM2.5=0.0001Traffic-4.50

(r²=0.02, p>0.05)

PAH TSP PM2.5

Total Traffic, count/day6.0e+4 7.0e+4 8.0e+4 9.0e+4 1.0e+5 1.1e+5 1.2e+5 1.3e+5

TSP

once

ntra

tion

( g/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

19

Gasoline and Diesel TrafficCounts Effects on Total PAHs

16PAH=0.0005gasoline+14.05 (r²=0.09, p<0.05)

16PAH=0.001diesel+13.24 (r²=0.14, p<0.05)

Gasoline Diesel

Gasoline Vehicle, Count/day

60x103

80x103

100x103

120x103

PAH

s, n

g/m

3

0

20

40

60

80

100

5x103

10x103

15x103

20x103

PAH

s, n

g/m

3

0

20

40

60

80

100

Diesel Vehicle, Count/day

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Gas and Particle Partitioning of 16 PAHs

Gas Phase

Naphthalene

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Fluorene

Phenanthrene

Anthracene

FluoranthenePyrene

Benz[a]anthracene

Chrysene

Benzo(b)fluoranthene

Benzo(k)fluoranthene

Benzo[a]pyrene

Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene

Dibenzo[a,h+a,c]anthracene

Benzo[g,h,i]perylene

PAH

(ng/

m3 )

0

5

10

15

20

25Particulate Phase

Naphthalene

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Fluorene

Phenanthrene

Anthracene

FluoranthenePyrene

Benz[a]anthracene

Chrysene

Benzo(b)fluoranthene

Benzo(k)fluoranthene

Benzo[a]pyrene

Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene

Dibenzo[a,h+a,c]anthracene

Benzo[g,h,i]perylene

PAH

(ng/

m3 )

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

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PAH concentration at Various Locations in the East Coast

Phenanthrene

This Study

Jersey City*

Camden*

New Brunswick*

Sandy Hook*

Tuckerton*

Chester*

Delaware Bay*

Pinelands*

Baltimore, M

D**

Con

cent

ratio

n (n

g/m

3 )

0

5

10

15

20

25 Pyrene

This Study

Jersey City*

Camden*

New Brunswick*

Sandy Hook*

Tuckerton*

Chester*

Delaware Bay*

Pinelands*

Baltimore, M

D**C

once

ntra

tion

(ng/

m3 )

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

*Gigliotti et al, Environ. Sci. Technol, 2005, 39,5550-5559**Offenburg, et al, J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc., 1999, 49, 959-965

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Meteorological effects

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PAHs vs Temperature, Wind speed (Site A)

Temperature (oC)-10 0 10 20 30

PAH

(ng/

m3)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

16PAHs=0.839Temperature+18.25

(r²=0.20, p<0.05)16PAHs=-0.832Wind speed+34.7

(r²=0.11, p<0.05)

Wind Speed (m/sec)0 10 20 30

PAH

(ng/

m3 )

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

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Seasonal effects

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Seasonal and Distance Effect on TSP and PAHs

TSP

conc

entr

atio

n,

g/m

3

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Fall Winter Spring

FALL-TSP-A FALL-TSP-B FALL-TSP-C

WINTER-TSP-A WINTER-TSP-B WINTER-TSP-C

Spring-TSP-A Spring-TSP-B Spring-TSP-C

Summer

Summer-TSP-A Summer-TSP-B Summer-TSP-C

Tota

l PA

Hs

(Gas

+Par

ticle

), ng

/m³

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Fall-A Fall-B Fall-C

Winter-A Winter-B Winter-C

Spring-A Spring-B Spring-C

Summer-A Summer-B Summer-C

Fall Winter Spring Summer

TSP PAHs

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Seasonal and Distance Effect on PM2.5

PM2.

5 (ng

/m3 )

0

10

20

30

40

Winter Summer A B C

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Seasonal Effect on Metals

Fe_Winter

Fe_Summer

Al_Winter

Al_Summer

Con

cent

ratio

n (n

g/m

3 )

0

50

100

150

200Fe Al

Ni_Winter

Ni_Summer

Zn_Winter

Zn_SummerC

once

ntra

tion

(ng/

m3 )

0

10

20

30

40

50

60Ni Zn

Seven of ten behave like Fe, Al Ni and Zn behave opposite

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Day of the week

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Effect of  Day‐of‐Week on TSP and PAHs  

TSP PAHs

Tota

l PAH

s (G

as+P

artic

ulat

e) c

once

ntra

iton,

ng/

m©

ø

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

A B C A B C

Weekday (WD) Weekend (WK)

WD-PAHs-A WD-PAHs-B WD-PAHs-B

WK-PAHs-A WK-PAHs-B WK-PAHs-C

TSP

con

cent

ratio

n, ¥

ìg/m

©ø

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

A B C A B C

Weekday (WD) Weekend (WK)

WD-TSP-A WD-TSP-B WD-TSP-C

WK-TSP-A WK-TSP-B WK-TSP-C

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Metal concentrations associated with particle size

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Types of Trace Metal Size Distribution From Turnpike, NJ

Type I-Ni, V

PM Size, Dp(m)0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0

dC/d

log(

Dp)

(ng/

m3 )

0

2

4

6

8

2.5

Copper

PM Size, Dp(m)0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0

dC/d

log(

Dp)

(ng/

m3 )

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2.5

Type III-Fe, Al, Cr and Sc

PM Size, Dp(m)0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0

dC/d

log(

Dp)

(ng/

m3 )

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

2.5

Type II-Pb, Cd, Zn

PM Size, Dp(m)0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0

dC/d

log(

Dp)

(ng/

m3 )

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

2.5

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Distribution of Individual Metals According to Size Fraction

Fe Sc Al Cr Cu Zn Pb Cd Ni V

% o

f Tot

al C

once

ntra

tion

0

20

40

60

80

100

2.5 m> 2.5 m

IIIII I

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Conclusions

• Near roadway emissions did not significantly affect the concentration of PM2.5 mass

• There were no significant differences in seasonal PM2.5 concentration (p > 0.05). 

• The concentrations of TSP and PAHs at 50 m were higher than at 100 and 150 m.

• The higher TSP concentration was observed in the spring and summer compared to the fall and the winter (p <0.05).

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Conclusions (continued)

• Total PAHs concentrations were higher in the summer compared to winter at site A (p <0.05). 

• There was no distance gradient of trace metals associated with PM2.5.

• Of the 10 metals, 7 were higher in the summer than winter, Ni and Zn were higher in the winter than summer.

• The distribution of metal concentrations associated with particle sizes followed 4 distinct patterns.

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MERI Webpage

http://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/

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