Status and characteristics of ambient PM2.5 pollution in global megacities

Ambient PM2.5 pollution is a substantial threat to public health in global megacities. This paper reviews the PM2.5 pollution of 45 global megacities in 2013, based on mass concentration from official monitoring networks and composition data reported in the literature. The results showed that the fi...

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Published in:Environment international Vol. 89-90; pp. 212 - 221
Main Authors: Cheng, Zhen, Luo, Lina, Wang, Shuxiao, Wang, Yungang, Sharma, Sumit, Shimadera, Hikari, Wang, Xiaoliang, Bressi, Michael, de Miranda, Regina Maura, Jiang, Jingkun, Zhou, Wei, Fajardo, Oscar, Yan, Naiqiang, Hao, Jiming
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2016
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Air Pollutants - chemistry
Air pollution
ammonium
Asia
Chemical composition
China
Cities
emissions
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Europe
India
Indo-Gangetic Plain
Megacity
monitoring
New York
nitrates
North America
organic matter
Particle Size
Particulate Matter - analysis
Particulate Matter - chemistry
particulates
PM2.5 (fine particulate matter)
pollution
public health
seasonal variation
Seasons
sulfates
Urbanization
winter
INW, China, People's Rep., Tianjin
China, People's Rep
India, Delhi
USA, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
ANW, USA, New York
China, People's Rep., Shaanxi Prov., Xian
Canada, Ontario, Toronto
Spain, Castilla, Madrid
New York
Indo-Gangetic Plain
China
India
Air pollution
Chemical composition
PM2.5 (fine particulate matter)
Megacity
PM(2.5) (fine particulate matter)
ISSN:0160-4120, 1873-6750, 1873-6750
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Summary:Ambient PM2.5 pollution is a substantial threat to public health in global megacities. This paper reviews the PM2.5 pollution of 45 global megacities in 2013, based on mass concentration from official monitoring networks and composition data reported in the literature. The results showed that the five most polluted megacities were Delhi, Cairo, Xi'an, Tianjin and Chengdu, all of which had an annual average concentration of PM2.5 greater than 89μg/m3. The five cleanest megacities were Miami, Toronto, New York, Madrid and Philadelphia, the annual averages of which were less than 10μg/m3. Spatial distribution indicated that the highly polluted megacities are concentrated in east-central China and the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Organic matter and SNA (sum of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium) contributed 30% and 36%, respectively, of the average PM2.5 mass for all megacities. Notable seasonal variation of PM2.5 polluted days was observed, especially for the polluted megacities of China and India, resulting in frequent heavy pollution episodes occurring during more polluted seasons such as winter. Marked differences in PM2.5 pollution between developing and developed megacities require more effort on local emissions reduction as well as global cooperation to address the PM2.5 pollution of those megacities mainly in Asia. •PM2.5 pollution in 45 megacities in 2013 was compared.•The megacities in east-central China and the Indo-Gangetic Plain were most polluted.•Organic matter and sulfate, nitrate and ammonium dominated the composition of PM2.5 of global megacities.•Heavy polluted days occurred in winter and in Asia megacities.
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ISSN:0160-4120
1873-6750
1873-6750
DOI:10.1016/j.envint.2016.02.003