Volatile organic compounds at an urban monitoring station in Korea

Measurements of 56 volatile organic compounds (VOC) were undertaken at a monitoring site in Seoul, Korea in 2004. The VOC pollution at the site was evaluated for both functional groups and individual compounds. The highest concentrations for the functional groups were recorded by aromatic (AR: 430 ppbC) followed by paraffin (PR), olefin (OF), and alkyne (AK). The mean concentrations of individual VOCs ranged from 0.05 ppb (1-hexene) to 39.8 ppb (toluene). For the VOC groups, there were peak concentrations during winter (AK and OF) and summer (AR). Although most aromatic VOCs generally peaked during summer, this was not true for benzene (e.g., winter peak). The distribution of VOCs at the study site was characterized by significantly enhanced concentrations of toluene and aromatic VOCs from local industrial and mobile sources. Despite excursions that were occasionally observed from aromatic groups or benzene, strong correlations occurred frequently between different groups and between individual components. The overall results of this study suggest that anthropogenic emissions have contributed greatly to increases in VOC pollution at the study site.