ABSTRACT
Air pollutants have a variety of chemical constituents that are harmful to human health. In this study, we attempt a source apportionment study of PM2.5 samples, Phuket, Thailand, to infer various pollution sources. Specifically, we analyzed the chemical constitutes of carbonaceous species, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and water-soluble ions. Results suggested that during the wintertime, the PM2.5 mass in Phuket varied from 8.6 to 35.3 μg/m3 (with an average of 20.4 μg/m3). The PAH levels were much lower than those measured in Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Hong Kong, and others. We also found relatively low PM2.5 and carbonaceous aerosols in Phuket compared to the other cities. The principal component analysis (PCA) suggested the first component as dominated by biomass burning and diesel-fueled vehicle exhaust pollutants. Also, the hierarchical cluster analysis confirmed the results of PCA. Overall, our study highlights the importance of ground-based measurements, chemical analysis, and statistical techniques to quantify various sources of pollutants in Phuket, Thailand.
