Urban Particulate Pollution Source Apportionment: Part 2 - Applications, Results, and Policy Implications

Building an effective air quality management system requires a process of continual improvement and the source apportionment techniques can contribute in a cost effective manner in improving the information required. The figure to the right presents an overview of the steps involved in conducted such a study.The process is time consuming and technically intense, but the results are scientifically robust. Three major steps involved are (a) sampling (b) chemical analysis (c) receptor modeling and the each step can be performed in multiple ways. The methodologies involved in each of these steps is explained in SIM 16-2009, and in this paper, a summary of the particulate pollution source apportionment studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, policy implications and utilities of a source apportionment study for an effective decision making in the cities are presented.

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Other working papers in the series of particulate pollution covering the topics of "what is source apportionment", "how to perform source apportionment", and "sample results from applications of source apportionment studies from Asia, Africa, and Latin America" are presented in

SIM 10-2008: What is Particulate Matter: Composition & Science
SIM 16-2009: Urban Particulate Pollution Source Apportionment (Part 1) Methodology & Resources
SIM 17-2009: Ten Frequently Asked Questions About Particulate Matter
SIM-23-2009: Urban Particulate Pollution Source Apportionment (Part 2): Applications & Policy Implications