A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance

Ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) is a crucial atmospheric component that significantly affects air quality and poses considerable health risks to humans. In the coastal areas of the Yangtze River Delta, typhoons, influenced by the subtropical high-pressure system, can lead to complex ozone pollutio...

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Main Authors: Mei Wan, Xinglong Pang, Xiaoxia Yang, Kai Xu, Jianting Chen, Yinglong Zhang, Junyue Wu, Yushang Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Atmosphere
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/330
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author Mei Wan
Xinglong Pang
Xiaoxia Yang
Kai Xu
Jianting Chen
Yinglong Zhang
Junyue Wu
Yushang Wang
author_facet Mei Wan
Xinglong Pang
Xiaoxia Yang
Kai Xu
Jianting Chen
Yinglong Zhang
Junyue Wu
Yushang Wang
author_sort Mei Wan
collection DOAJ
description Ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) is a crucial atmospheric component that significantly affects air quality and poses considerable health risks to humans. In the coastal areas of the Yangtze River Delta, typhoons, influenced by the subtropical high-pressure system, can lead to complex ozone pollution situations. This study aimed to explore the causes, sources, and health risks of O<sub>3</sub> pollution during such events. Ground-based data from Jiaxing City’s key ozone precursor (VOCs) composition observations, ERA5 reanalysis data, and models CMAQ-ISAM and PMF were employed. Focusing on the severe ozone pollution event in Jiaxing from 3 to 11 September 2022, the results showed that local ozone production was the main contributor (60.8–81.4%, with an average of 72.3%), while external regional transport was secondary. Concentrations of olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons increased remarkably, playing a vital role in ozone formation. Meteorological conditions, such as reduced cloud cover during typhoon periphery transit, promoted ozone accumulation. By considering the unique respiratory exposure habits of the Chinese population, refined health risk assessments were conducted. Acrolein was found to be the main cause of chronic non-carcinogenic risks (NCRs), with NCR values reaching 1.74 and 2.02 during and after pollution. In lifetime carcinogenic risk (LCR) assessment, the mid-pollution LCR was 1.73 times higher, mainly due to 1,2-dichloroethane and benzene. This study presents a methodology that is readily adaptable to analogous pollution incidents, thereby providing a pragmatic framework to guide actionable local government policy-making aimed at safeguarding public health and mitigating urban ozone pollution.
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spelling doaj-art-b2ea4e9c6073402aa8f42eccb902d8d52025-08-20T02:11:15ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-03-0116333010.3390/atmos16030330A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local GovernanceMei Wan0Xinglong Pang1Xiaoxia Yang2Kai Xu3Jianting Chen4Yinglong Zhang5Junyue Wu6Yushang Wang7Department of Environment, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, ChinaDepartment of Environment, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, ChinaJiaxing Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Zhejiang Province, Jiaxing 314001, ChinaDepartment of Environment, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, ChinaJiaxing Smart Environmental Protection and Motor Vehicle Pollution Prevention Center, Jiaxing 314001, ChinaJiaxing Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Zhejiang Province, Jiaxing 314001, ChinaDepartment of Environment, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, ChinaWuxi Ninecosmos Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Wuxi 214000, ChinaOzone (O<sub>3</sub>) is a crucial atmospheric component that significantly affects air quality and poses considerable health risks to humans. In the coastal areas of the Yangtze River Delta, typhoons, influenced by the subtropical high-pressure system, can lead to complex ozone pollution situations. This study aimed to explore the causes, sources, and health risks of O<sub>3</sub> pollution during such events. Ground-based data from Jiaxing City’s key ozone precursor (VOCs) composition observations, ERA5 reanalysis data, and models CMAQ-ISAM and PMF were employed. Focusing on the severe ozone pollution event in Jiaxing from 3 to 11 September 2022, the results showed that local ozone production was the main contributor (60.8–81.4%, with an average of 72.3%), while external regional transport was secondary. Concentrations of olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons increased remarkably, playing a vital role in ozone formation. Meteorological conditions, such as reduced cloud cover during typhoon periphery transit, promoted ozone accumulation. By considering the unique respiratory exposure habits of the Chinese population, refined health risk assessments were conducted. Acrolein was found to be the main cause of chronic non-carcinogenic risks (NCRs), with NCR values reaching 1.74 and 2.02 during and after pollution. In lifetime carcinogenic risk (LCR) assessment, the mid-pollution LCR was 1.73 times higher, mainly due to 1,2-dichloroethane and benzene. This study presents a methodology that is readily adaptable to analogous pollution incidents, thereby providing a pragmatic framework to guide actionable local government policy-making aimed at safeguarding public health and mitigating urban ozone pollution.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/330ozone pollutionYangtze River Deltatyphoonmeteorological conditionsprecursorshealth risk assessment
spellingShingle Mei Wan
Xinglong Pang
Xiaoxia Yang
Kai Xu
Jianting Chen
Yinglong Zhang
Junyue Wu
Yushang Wang
A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance
Atmosphere
ozone pollution
Yangtze River Delta
typhoon
meteorological conditions
precursors
health risk assessment
title A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance
title_full A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance
title_fullStr A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance
title_full_unstemmed A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance
title_short A Case Study of Ozone Pollution in a Typical Yangtze River Delta City During Typhoon: Identifying Precursors, Assessing Health Risks, and Informing Local Governance
title_sort case study of ozone pollution in a typical yangtze river delta city during typhoon identifying precursors assessing health risks and informing local governance
topic ozone pollution
Yangtze River Delta
typhoon
meteorological conditions
precursors
health risk assessment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/330
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