WTC aersols ACS 2003

Very fine aerosols from the World Trade Center collapse piles: Anaerobic Incineration?: 

Very fine aerosols from the World Trade Center collapse piles: Anaerobic Incineration? Thomas A. Cahill, Steven S. Cliff, Kevin D. Perry (U. Utah) , James Shackelford, Michael Meier, Michael Dunlap, Graham Bench, (LLNL), and Robert Leifer (DOE EML) DELTA* () Group University of California, Davis * Detection and Evaluation in Long-range Transport of Aerosols

Background: 

Background The collapse of the World Trade Center structures (South Tower, North Tower, and WTC 7) presented two very different types of air pollution events: 1. Initial fires and collapse-derived “dust storm” 2. Continuing emissions from the debris piles Both cases shared the unusual aspect of a massive ground level source of particulate matter in a highly populated area with potential health impacts.

New data to explain aerosols from the WTC collapse piles: 

New data to explain aerosols from the WTC collapse piles Association of metals with prior data on municipal incinerators, especially those with chlorine-rich waste Correlation between coarse, metal coated aerosols with very fine aerosols New time and compositionally resolved data on fine and very fine aerosols Indoor very fine aerosols near WTC, May, 2002 Outdoor very fine Eastern urban aerosols, August, 2002 In addition…. Indoor aerosol data for Sept, 11, 2001 for 8 hr in a near-WTC office

DELTA Group slotted 8 DRUM Impactor: 

DELTA Group slotted 8 DRUM Impactor 8 size ranges: Inlet ( ~ 12) to 5.0 μm 5.0 to 2.5 μm 2.5 to 1.15 μm 1.15 to 0.75 μm 0.75 to 0.56 μm 0.56 to 0.34 μm 0.34 to 0.26 μm 0.26 to 0.09 μm 10.4 l/min, critical orifice control, ¼ hp pump 6.5 x 168 mm Mylar strips For 42 day run, 4 mm/day, time resolution = 1 hr. Field portable 10 kg, 43 × 22 × 13 cm 43 cm

Aerosol DRUM Strips from WTCOct.2 to Oct. 30, 2001: 

Aerosol DRUM Strips from WTC Oct.2 to Oct. 30, 2001 ~12 to 5 μm 0.75 to 0.56 μm 5 to 2.5 μm 2.5 to 1.15 μm 0.34 to 0.26 μm 0.26 to 0.09 μm 1.15 to 0.75 μm 0.56 to 0.34 μm

DELTA Group Analytical TechniquesBeam based, 100-500 μm, non-destructive: 

DELTA Group Analytical Techniques Beam based, 100-500 μm, non-destructive Soft beta ray mass ( mass) 320-820 nm optical attenuation, 10 nm steps Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence, polarized “white” beam 4 keV to 18 keV (S-XRF) – ALS LBNL Scanning Transmission Ion microscopy (STIM) – CAMS LLNL Proton Elastic Scattering Analysis (PESA) - LLNL Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LDITOF/MS) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

Slide10: 

Under what conditions and with what efficiency can the WTC plume impact the sampling site, 1.8 km NNE of the WTC and 50 m above ground level? Wind direction: HYSPLIT trajectory wind from 202o + 60o (incl. dispersion) Weighting by cosine  Plume lofting: Surface temperature of the WTC collapse site Vertical atmospheric stability: HYSPLIT isentropic trajectories subsiding and/or high vertical dispersion Concentrations are modulated by: Emission rates from the collapse piles Vertical and horizontal dispersion rates Wind speed - “Residence Time” 1/u (200m) weighting Rainfall and fogs - Estimates of wet and dry removal rates

EPA Analysis of PM10 Mass24 hour data: 

EPA Analysis of PM10 Mass 24 hour data October 3

Anomalous Size Distribution of Aerosols from the WTC, October 3: 

Anomalous Size Distribution of Aerosols from the WTC, October 3 Size Fraction (micrometers) Relative Abundance

Why do we care about very fine (0.26 > Dp > 0.09 μm) aerosols?: 

Why do we care about very fine (0.26 > Dp > 0.09 μm) aerosols? EPA (AAAR, 10/2002) summarized 5 causal factors most likely to explain the statistically solid data connecting fine PM2.5 aerosols and human health. Biological aerosols (bacteria, molds, viruses…) acidic aerosols very fine/ultra fine ( < 0.1 μm) insoluble aerosols fine transition metals high temperature organics 4 of the 5 reached unprecedented ambient levels in the very fine aerosol plumes from the WTC collapse piles On most days, the plumes lofted above NYC so that only those on or near the WTC site breathed these aerosols.

Why was the debris pile so hot, so long?: 

Why was the debris pile so hot, so long? Energy (est.) (in units of 10 11 joules) Kinetic energy of falling building 5 (+2.5oC) Chemical energy of cars in garage 10 Chemical energy of diesel/Con Ed oil 150 Especially under WTC #7 Chemical energy of building combustibles 430 Perhaps 15% burned before the buildings collapsed The surface and near sub-surface debris pile was hot enough to melt aluminum, make steel red hot, and burned until Dec. 19. But this is still much cooler than typical sources of very fine particle metals such as power plants, smelters, and diesels.

Very fine mass by STIM and estimated total organic matter from PESA: 

Very fine mass by STIM and estimated total organic matter from PESA

Very fine aerosol plumes at Varick Street: 

Very fine aerosol plumes at Varick Street 18 events with very fine (0.26 > Dp > 0.09 μm) aerosol mass > 3.0 μg/m3, > 10 x background, in 3 to 6 hr plumes Criteria # events HYSPLIT wind in SSW quadrant 14 + 1 calm Very fine organics > 1.0 μg/m3, 16 2.5 to 5 μm cement dust EF > 2.5 16 2.5 to 5 μm sulfate > 0.3 μg/m3 15 Simultaneous ground based 3 hr hazes plumes at LaGuardia airport, Lv < 15 km 5 (+ 3 days Sept.) 5 events met all 5 criteria, 4 more met 4 of the 5 criteria – these 9 are labeled “highly probable events”; 6 met 3 of the 5 criteria – labeled “WTC influence” a total of 15 events over 20 days, 1 met only 2 of the criteria - uncertain source 2 met one of the criteria, but not SSW quadrant – labeled “non-WTC plumes none of the criteria – labeled “background days” - a total of 6 days

Concentration of Very Fine Aerosols3 hr peak averages, Micrograms/m3 (ng/m3 - V, Ni) : 

Concentration of Very Fine Aerosols 3 hr peak averages, Micrograms/m3 (ng/m3 - V, Ni)

Slide24: 

“Crustal” elements

Proposed explanation of very fine aerosols size and composition: 

Proposed explanation of very fine aerosols size and composition Problems: We see very fine aerosols typical of combustion temperatures far higher than the WTC collapse piles We see some elements abundantly and others hardly at all, despite similar abundances in the collapse dust We see organic species in the very fine mode that would not survive high temperatures Explanation The hot collapse piles are converting some species to gasses that can escape to the surface of the piles and then form aerosols, a process that yields very fine particles

Predicted metal emissions from the WTC collapse piles : 

Predicted metal emissions from the WTC collapse piles Assumption: The molecular compounds will oxidize when these gasses reach the hot surface, which was capable of spontaneous surface fires until mid-December. There will then be fine metal aerosols, probably as oxides, richest in those elements with both high abundance and chlorine-depressed volatility temperatures – Silicon, vanadium, nickel, lead There will then be an absence of fine metal aerosols with high volatility temperatures, even if their abundance is high – Chromium, barium

Very fine mode aerosols in WTC plume and non-plume conditions: 

Very fine mode aerosols in WTC plume and non-plume conditions

Slide31: 

Anthropogenic elements

Conclusions – WTC Aerosols(additions since September, 2002 in blue) : 

Conclusions – WTC Aerosols (additions since September, 2002 in blue) There were heavy and continuing emissions of aerosols in narrow plumes of unusual size and composition from the WTC collapse site that on 9 to 15 occasions impacted 201 Varick St, 1.8 km NNE. Coarse particles were similar to the initial collapse aerosols (cement, dry wall, glass, ...) but had chemicals and soot from the ongoing combustion. Little asbestos was expected or observed. The presence of unprecedented (vis. Beijing, Kuwait) levels of very fine (0.26 > Dp > 0.09 μm) particles by mass and number in narrow plumes was more typical of an industrial source, specifically a chlorine rich municipal incinerator, than any normal ambient air situation. Upwind sources were a very minor contribution. The very fine silicon and sulfur and many of the coarse metals like vanadium decreased steadily during October. Very fine particles near the WTC site in May, 2002, were generally < 10% of the October, 2001 plume impact days at Varick Street. (except S, Ni)

For more details……..: 

For more details…….. Lioy et al, Environmental Health Perspectives 110, #7 703-714 July, 2002 (3 bulk samples collected dry, 9/16, 9/17, exhaustive analyses) Cahill et al (in press, Aerosol Science & Technology (2003) EPA web site www.epa.gov/ response to 9/11, EPA ORD analysis and Power Point presentation NASA EOS Landsat Thematic Mapper , IKONOS satellite photos from Spaceimaging.com, DELTA web site http://delta.ucdavis.edu, WTC data and the Fall, 2002 ACS Powerpoint presentation.

Acknowledgements: 

Acknowledgements We wish to thank all the people and groups that contributed time and resources for this unfunded project, especially LLNL (STIM/PESA grant) , ALS LBNL (S-XRF beam time), UCD DELTA Group staff, and DOE EML NYC. The authors gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) for the provision of the HYSPLIT transport and dispersion model (http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ready.html) and the READY web site used in this publication. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the American Lung Association for the May, 2002 study, and Prof. John Ondov for urban data examples. We wish to thank all the people who helped increase our understanding of the WTC problem, and in particular the very helpful analysis of Prof. Ian Kennedy (UCD Engineering) and Dr. William Wilson, (ORD, US EPA. Finally, we want to thank the organizers of this symposium and the support they provided for this program.

Other Aerosol Sources – October, 2001: 

Other Aerosol Sources – October, 2001 Regional Aerosols > 100 km Sulfates, organic matter New York/New Jersey Metropolitan 15 – 100 km Natural oceanic aerosols Heavy fuel oil Power plants (all reportedly using natural gas) Ships Other sources Local < 15 km Diesel generators and trucks, smoking cars New York industrial sources

Aerosol DRUM Strips – coarse to very fine : 

Aerosol DRUM Strips – coarse to very fine

DELTA Group Synchrotron-XRF Facility at the LBNL Advanced Light Source : 

DELTA Group Synchrotron-XRF Facility at the LBNL Advanced Light Source

Typical S-XRF Spectrum Raw data, Teflon substrate with no blank subtraction : 

Typical S-XRF Spectrum Raw data, Teflon substrate with no blank subtraction Energy (keV) 4 8 12 16 0 1 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 Counts

Analysis of coarse aerosols Dp > 2.5μm : 

Analysis of coarse aerosols Dp > 2.5μm Large amounts of coarse aerosol mass was seen during the October 3 3 hr plume (220 μg/m3) and smaller amounts later in the month Composition was crustal with enhanced calcium (vis cement dust) during times of WTC transport, with pH from 11.0 to 12.1 (USGS, 9/2001) Particles were visibly coated with soot Numerous non-crustal elements had high enrichment factors showing anthropogenic sources Many of these non-crustal elements decreased later in October

But one can argue against this hypothesis: 

But one can argue against this hypothesis No convincing local meteorology – street canyon effects, etc, Not similar to dust from the immediate collapse (Lioy et al, 2002) No prior size/time/compositionally resolved data from NYC for comparison purposes No data on emission factors at source Strange elemental ratios with no clear sources

Were the aerosols observed at Varick Street from the WTC collapse piles?: 

Were the aerosols observed at Varick Street from the WTC collapse piles? High levels of very fine < 0.26 µm mass, H, and S in short duration ( circa 3 hr) plumes Short atmospheric lifetimes, therefore local Peaks seen on winds from the Southwest Subsiding isentropic trajectories, so ground impact Relatively fine 5.0 to 2.5 μm cement dust with anomalous elements (sulfur, metals,,,) On 5 occasions, simultaneous haze plumes at La Guardia

Slide47: 

Under what conditions and with what efficiency can the WTC plume impact the sampling site, 1.8 km NNE of the WTC and 50 m above ground level? Wind direction: HYSPLIT trajectory wind from SW Plume lofting: Surface temperature of the WTC collapse site Wind speed: “Residence Time” 1/u (200m) weighting Vertical atmospheric stability: HYSPLIT isentropic trajectories subsiding Removal - settling, diffusion, rainfall and fogs: Estimates of wet and dry removal rates

Outstanding Questions -WTC Aerosols: 

Outstanding Questions -WTC Aerosols What are the health impacts of these aerosols? Do the very fine particles linger indoors? Why was October 3 so impacted? What is the source of the S/V/Ni “fuel oil” combustion signature? What is the morphology of the metal and soot-coated coarse particles? What are the sources and impacts of the organic matter?

Slide50: 

Mass/Charge WTC8P315.DAT 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0 4 October 2002, WTC Plume, 201 Varick Street, NYC 0.09-0.24 m Particles, Positive Ions Na+ K+ PAH 203/205 219/220/221 252 plastic 147

Slide51: 

4

Very fine Particles 0.26 to 0.09 μm, Oct. 3: 

Very fine Particles 0.26 to 0.09 μm, Oct. 3

Coarse particles ~ 12 to 5 μm, Oct. 3 : 

Coarse particles ~ 12 to 5 μm, Oct. 3