The extent of correlation in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration data obtained by the UK PAH Monitoring and Analysis Air Quality Network from March 2008 to November 2010 has been assessed. Application of principal component analysis (PCA) to the dataset has revealed that the concentrations of the vast majority of PAHs are very highly correlated. The use of diagnostic PAH ratios (including a new benzo[b]naph[2,1-d]thiophene/benzo[a]pyrene diagnostic ratio), and a novel ‘combined diagnostic ratio – PCA’ approach has revealed information about the main sources of PAH at individual Network sites, allowing the sites to be grouped in terms of those influenced by solid fuel use, industry and traffic, and those of an urban or rural nature. Solid fuel use has also been delineated from other fuel burning. Conclusions are drawn about a number of UK PAH Network sites – four sites are shown to be influenced significantly by solid fuel use, and the sites in South Wales and at London Marylebone Road are found to be located in distinct and unusual PAH pollution climates – the identification of a unique PAH pollution climate in South Wales is a key and novel conclusion of the work.

The majority of measurements of mercury vapour, for example those to determine mass concentration in air, are currently ultimately traceable to the vapour pressure of mercury, usually via a bell-jar calibration apparatus. This allows a saturated concentration of mercury vapour in air to develop in a confined space in equilibrium with ambient conditions, from which a known mass of mercury can be removed for calibration purposes. Several empirical equations are available to describe the vapour pressure of mercury at a given temperature, but the agreement between them is not good, with data from different equations sometimes differing by 5% or more. In order to remove the dependence of mercury vapour measurement on these empirical equations, and to provide stability, comparability and coherence for mercury vapour measurements, this paper describes work undertaken to link directly mercury vapour measurements to standards of mass, and therefore to establish traceability for these measurements to the SI system of units. This has been achieved by measuring the mass output rate of a dynamic mercury vapour generator gravimetrically, and linking this to the expected mass concentration in the bell-jar apparatus. The SI traceable mercury vapour measurements have been shown to agree with the predicted output from the bell-jar, as defined by the most commonly used empirical mercury vapour pressure equation, within the uncertainty of the measurement.

The purpose of this study was to identify a characteristic elemental tyre fingerprint that can be utilised in atmospheric source apportionment calculations. Currently zinc is widely used as a single element tracer to quantify tyre wear, however several authors have highlighted issues with this approach. To overcome this, tyre rubber tread was digested and has been analysed for 25 elements by ICP-MS to generate a multielement profile. Additionally, to estimate the percentage of the tyre made up of inert fillers, thermogravimetric analysis was performed on a subset. Comparisons were made between passenger car and heavy goods vehicle tyre composition, and a subset of tyres had both tread and sidewall sampled for further comparison. 19 of the 25 elements were detected in the analysis. The mean mass fraction of zinc detected was 11.17 g/kg, consistent with previous estimates of 1% of the tyre mass. Aluminium, iron, and magnesium were found to be the next most abundant elements. Only one source profile for tyre wear exists in both the US and EU air pollution species profile databases, highlighting the need for more recent data with better coverage of tyre makes and models. This study provides data on new tyres which are currently operating on-road in Europe and is therefore relevant for ongoing atmospheric studies assessing the levels of tyre wear particles in urban areas.

The impact of human activities on the health of the population and of the wider environment has prompted action to monitor the presence of toxic compounds in the atmosphere. Toxic organic micropollutants (TOMPs) are some of the most insidious and persistent of these pollutants. Since 1991 the United Kingdom has operated nationwide air quality networks to assess the presence of TOMPs, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in ambient air. The data produced in 2010 marked 20 years of nationwide PAH monitoring. This paper marks this milestone by providing a novel and critical review of the data produced since nationwide monitoring began up to the end of 2011 (the latest year for which published data is available), discussing how the networks performing this monitoring has evolved, and elucidating trends in the concentrations of the PAHs measured. The current challenges in the area and a forward look to the future of air quality monitoring for PAHs are also discussed briefly.