The relationship between Black Carbon and Lung Deposited Surface Area in different urban environments in London

Erfan Abdollahei1, Tianye Zhu1, and Marc Stettler1

1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK 

Summary

This paper sets out to explore the relationship between LDSA and BC in different urban environments within London and their performance as a measure of personal exposure. Results across the locations showed large variability. By comparing BC and LDSA measurements, more information about the proportion of BC in ambient PM and the size distribution of particles can be extracted from the personal exposure studies.

Measurements near Marylebone road have the highest correlation coefficient  and coefficient of determination  between BC and LDSA. This could indicate that a significant proportion of ambient PM is BC. Measurements in the Underground show the lowest LDSA/BC ratio (median ~ 2 ) due to the presence of oxide Fe particles. Larger particles have a lower surface area, which leads to a lower LDSA/BC ratio. Further work is needed to evaluate how the ratio and correlation between BC and LDSA vary with controlled particle sources and with respect to reference instruments.