RESEA R C H R E P O R T HEA L TH HEA L TH Personal and Ambient Exposures to EFF E CTS EFF E CTS Air Toxics in Camden, New Jersey INSTITUTE INSTITUTE Paul J. Lioy, Zhihua (Tina) Fan, Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, 101 Federal Street, Suite 500 Panos Georgopoulos, Sheng-Wei Wang, Pamela Boston, MA 02110, USA Number 160 Ohman-Strickland, Xiangmei Wu, Xianlei Zhu, +1-617-488-2300 August 2011 Jason Herrington, Xiaogang Tang, Qingyu Meng, www.healtheffects.org Kyung Hwa Jung, Jaymin Kwon, Marta Hernandez, Linda Bonnano, Joann Held, and John Neal RESEA R CH REPO R T Number 160 August 2011 Includes a Commentary by the Institute’s Health Review Committee Personal and Ambient Exposures to Air Toxics in Camden, New Jersey Paul J. Lioy, Zhihua (Tina) Fan, Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, Panos Georgopoulos, Sheng-Wei Wang, Pamela Ohman-Strickland, Xiangmei Wu, Xianlei Zhu, Jason Herrington, Xiaogang Tang, Qingyu Meng, Kyung Hwa Jung, Jaymin Kwon, Marta Hernandez, Linda Bonnano, Joann Held, and John Neal with a Commentary by the HEI Health Review Committee Research Report 160 Health Effects Institute Boston, Massachusetts Trusted Science · Cleaner Air · Better Health Publishing history: This document was posted at www.healtheffects.org in August 2011. Citation for whole document: Lioy PJ, Fan Z, Zhang J, Georgopoulos P, Wang S-W, Ohman-Strickland P, Wu X, Zhu X, Herrington J, Tang X, Meng Q, Jung KW, Kwon J, Hernandez M, Bonnano L, Held J, Neal J. 2011. Personal and Ambient Exposures to Air Toxics in Camden, New Jersey. Research Report 160. Health Effects Institute, Boston, MA. © 2011 Health Effects Institute, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Cameographics, Belfast, Me., Compositor. Printed by Recycled Paper Printing, Boston, Mass. Library of Congress Catalog Number for the HEI Report Series: WA 754 R432. Cover paper: made with at least 55% recycled content, of which at least 30% is post-consumer waste; free of acid and elemental chlorine. Text paper: made with 100% post-consumer waste recycled content; acid free; no chlorine used in processing. The book is printed with soy-based inks and is of permanent archival quality. CONTENTS About HEI vii About This Report ix Preface xi HEI STATEMENT 1 INVESTIGATORS’ REPORT by Lioy et al. 3 ABSTRACT 3 INTRODUCTION 5 Study Objectives and Specific Aims 8 METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN 9 Subject Recruitment 10 Community Connections 10 Local Meetings and Events 10 Direct Contact with Local Residents 11 Advertisement in Local Newspapers 11 Word of Mouth 11 Survey Instrument: Questionnaires 11 Fixed Monitoring Sites 12 Fixed Monitoring Site in Waterfront South 12 Fixed Monitoring Site in Copewood–Davis 12 Measurement of Air Pollutants 12 Sampling Setup for Personal and Ambient Air Sample Collection 12 Measurement of PM2.5 14 Measurement of VOCs 14 Measurement of Aldehydes 15 Measurement of PAHs 17 Nicotine Measurement for ETS Exposure Evaluation 18 Spatial Variation Study 18 Saturation-Sampling Sites 18 Saturation-Sampling Campaigns 19 Statistical Analysis and Modeling Application 19 Data Processing and Validation 19 Statistical Analyses 19 Model Applications 21 Modeling of Ambient Air Concentrations 22 Modeling of Personal Air Concentrations 23 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 29 Demographic Information and Subject Retention 29 Sample Collection, Data Completeness, and QA–QC 29 Method Detection Limits and Method Precision 29 Personal and Ambient Concentrations and Personal–Ambient Associations 32 PM2.5 32 VOCs 45 Aldehydes 55 PAHs 60 Research Report 160 Spatial Variation Study 67 Concentrations and Spatial Distribution of BTEX and MTBE 67 Sources of MTBE and BTEX in Waterfront South and Copewood–Davis 78 Concentrations and Spatial Distribution of Chloroform and Carbon Tetrachloride 81 Concentrations and Spatial Distribution of Aldehydes 81 Sources of Aldehydes 81 Comparison Between Spatial Variation Sampling and Fixed Site Monitoring 91 MENTOR Modeling Application 92 Results of Model Application 92 Discussion of Modeling Applications and Measurement Results 109 Personal Concentrations of Air Toxics 111 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 113 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 116 REFERENCES 116 APPENDIX A. HEI Quality Assurance Statement 121 APPENDIX B. Ambient VOC Concentrations (µg/m3) in (B.1) Summer and (B.2) Winter for Waterfront South, Copewood–Davis, and NJDEP Monitoring Sites 122 APPENDICES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB 126 ABOUT THE AUTHORS 126 OTHER PUBLICATIONS RESULTING FROM THIS RESEARCH 126 ABBREVIATIONS AND OTHER TERMS 126 COMMENTARY by the Health Review Committee 129 INTRODUCTION 129 SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND 129 SIDEBAR Sources of Pollutants Evaluated 130 STUDY OBJECTIVES AND SPECIFIC AIMS 132 STUDY DESIGN 132 Characteristics of Waterfront South and Copewood–Davis 132 Participants 133 Ambient Monitoring Sites 133 Air Pollutant Sampling and Measurement 133 Spatial Saturation Sampling 134 Modeling of Pollutant Concentrations 134 Statistical Analyses 134 HEALTH REVIEW COMMITTEE EVALUATION 135 General Comments 135 Key Findings 135 Interpretation of Findings 136 CONTENTS SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 142 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 143 REFERENCES 143 COMMENTARY APPENDIX 145 Related HEI Publications 153 HEI Board, Committees, and Staff 155 ABOUT HEI The Health Effects Institute is a nonprofit corporation chartered in 1980 as an independent research organization to provide high-quality, impartial, and relevant science on the effects of air pollution on health. To accomplish its mission, the institute • Identifies the highest-priority areas for health effects research; • Competitively funds and oversees research projects; • Provides intensive independent review of HEI-supported studies and related research; • Integrates HEI’s research results with those of other institutions into broader evaluations; and • Communicates the results of HEI’s research and analyses to public and private decision makers. HEI typically receives half of its core funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and half from the worldwide motor vehicle industry. Frequently, other public and private organizations in the United States and around the world also support major projects or research programs. HEI has funded more than 280 research projects in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, the results of which have informed decisions regarding carbon monoxide, air toxics, nitrogen oxides, diesel exhaust, ozone, particulate matter, and other pollutants. These results have appeared in the peer-reviewed literature and in more than 200 comprehensive reports published by HEI. HEI’s independent Board of Directors consists of leaders in science and policy who are committed to fostering the public–private partnership that is central to the organization. The Health Research Committee solicits input from HEI sponsors and other stakeholders and works with scientific staff to develop a Five-Year Strategic Plan, select research projects for funding, and oversee their conduct. The Health Review Committee, which has no role in selecting or overseeing studies, works with staff to evaluate and interpret the results of funded studies and related research. All project results and accompanying comments by the Health Review Committee are widely disseminated through HEI’s Web site (www.healtheffects.org), printed reports, newsletters and other publications, annual conferences, and presentations to legislative bodies and public agencies. vii ABOUT THIS REPORT Research Report 160, Personal and Ambient Exposures to Air Toxics in Camden, New Jersey, presents a research project funded by the Health Effects Institute and conducted by Dr. Paul J. Lioy, of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, New Jersey, and his colleagues. This report contains three main sections. The HEI Statement, prepared by staff at HEI, is a brief, nontechnical summary of the study and its findings; it also briefly describes the Health Review Committee’s comments on the study. The Investigators’ Report, prepared by Lioy and colleagues, describes the scientific background, aims, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. The Commentary is prepared by members of the Health Review Committee with the assistance of HEI staff; it places the study in a broader scientific context, points out its strengths and limitations, and discusses remaining uncertainties and implications of the study’s findings for public health and future research. This report has gone through HEI’s rigorous review process. When an HEI-funded study is completed, the investigators submit a draft final report presenting the background and results of the study. This draft report is first examined by outside technical reviewers and a biostatistician. The report and the reviewers’ comments are then evaluated by members of the Health Review Committee, an independent panel of distinguished scientists who have no involvement in selecting or overseeing HEI studies. During the review process, the investigators have an opportunity to exchange comments with the Review Committee and, as necessary, to revise their report. The Commentary reflects the information provided in the final version of the report. ix PREFACE HEI’s Research Program on Air Toxics Hot Spots diesel exhaust organic gases — and mandated the INTRODUCTION reduction of benzene in gasoline and of hydrocarbons Air toxics comprise a large and diverse group of air (including MSATs) in exhaust (U.S. EPA 2007). In pollutants that, with sufficient exposure, are known or 2007, HEI published a critical review of the literature suspected to cause adverse effects on human health, on exposure to and health