Geospatial Analysis of Air Pollution and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in London

Abstract

Environmental health is closely linked with human health. Air pollution is one of the most vital parts of environmental and human health, as its effects are so strong. Significant research has outlined the effects of fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide as widespread, common air pollutants. These pollutants are linked to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, environmental pollutants stemming from incomplete combustion reactions, which have varying health effects. In this study, we analyzed the exposure of study participants to PAHs using liquid-liquid extraction, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. We evaluated the statistical relationship between the PAHs and the common air pollutants. Following statistical testing, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variability of these air pollutants using Inverse Distance Weighting interpolation. With the interpolated surfaces and statistical associations, we found that the PAHs were most strongly related to nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, and concentrations of pollution tend to be higher in the winter. The source of the pollutants is likely traffic patterns and relative traffic density, which points to a need for lowering vehicle emissions.