Source apportionment of PM2.5 in Montréal, Canada, and health risk assessment for potentially toxic elements

Abstract

Abstract. Source apportionment of PM2.5 was performed using positive matrix factorization (PMF) based on detailed chemical composition data from 24 h filter samples collected over a 3-month period (August–November 2020) at an urban site in Montréal, a Canadian city with a population of approximately 4×106 people. This source apportionment study, which examined the main contributing sources to PM2.5 using a larger suite of organic molecular markers than other Canadian studies, is the first of its sort in Canada. A focus of this study was on quantifying previously unresolved sources of PM2.5 through the inclusion in the PMF analysis of additional organic molecular markers beyond those measured typically by the Canadian government's National Air Pollution Surveillance Program (NAPS). The organic species included in the PMF model were comprised of six n-alkanes, two fatty acids, one dicarboxylic acid, two biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) tracers, and hopane. Secondary inorganic aerosols (SIAs) and SOAs were the dominant components and constituted 39 % of the measured PM2.5 mass, while the local primary anthropogenic sources, namely traffic exhaust, road dust, industrial, and cooking emissions, contributed 23 %. The chemical transport model GEOS-Chem revealed that ammonium sulfate concentrations in Montréal are strongly influenced by both local sources in Quebec and transboundary input from the United States, with the transboundary input exceeding the local emissions for SOA. Co and Cr(VI) presented an elevated cancer risk, highlighting that more attention should be given to these trace metals, which were associated with industrial emissions by the PMF analysis. Furthermore, the results showed that industrial emissions were minor contributors to the total PM2.5 mass concentration but were the largest contributors to Co and Cr(VI) concentrations. Thus, the health hazards associated with this source cannot be entirely established by the PM2.5 mass concentration alone. This study highlights that, when evaluating air quality in Montréal and other urban regions, the prioritization of sources for mitigation strategies will diverge if one considers total PM2.5 mass concentration or the concentration of individual particulate-bound contaminants. Furthermore, the large transboundary contribution from the United States to total PM2.5 levels suggests that future municipal, provincial, and federal monitoring and regulations would be more effective if they focus on specific high-risk contaminants (e.g., Co and Cr(VI) rather than total PM2.5).