Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 22 No 3
(2018): 508 - 513
DOI:
10.17576/mjas-2018-2203-19
VARIATION OF PM10
AND HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATION OF SUB-URBAN AREA
CAUSED BY HAZE EPISODE
(Variasi PM10
dan Kepekatan Logam Berat di Kawasan Separa-Bandar disebabkan oleh Episod Jerebu)
Mohd Zahari
Abdullah* and Nurul Afirah Alias
Faculty of Applied Sciences,
Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang, 26400 Bandar Tun
Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: umizah@pahang.uitm.edu.my
Received: 4
December 2016; Accepted: 1 December 2017
Abstract
A severe haze episode has swept across
Malaysia in late June until October 2015 and has caused sharp rises of Air
Pollution Index (API) across the country. This study was conducted to evaluate
the effects of haze event on the API sub-indices during 10 days of the sampling
period. The air particulate samples (PM10) were collected at an open
site in UiTM Jengka, Pahang by using high volume air
sampler (HVAS). The standard acid digestion method was applied to dissolve
the sample and the concentrations of heavy metals were analyzed by inductively
coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP–OES). The API sub-indices were
calculated based on the standard method applied by Department of Environment
(DOE) Malaysia. The results showed significant differences in PM10
mass between haze and non-haze days, which were ranged between 28.4 µg/m3
to 132.9 µg/m3 and 17.3 µg/m3 to 34.7 µg/m3
for the respective two sampling intervals, haze and non-haze days. The mass
concentrations of the studied metals did not show any significant different
between the two intervals which indicates other constituent of particulate has
contributed to the different weight of PM10. The highest API
sub-indices during haze days was recorded as 89 which is classified as moderate
level of air pollution. The overall results clearly showed that haze event has
increased the PM10 mass of the surrounding air but not the
concentration of heavy metals.
Keywords: API sub-indices, haze episode, high volume air
sampler, particulate matter less than 10 µm
Abstrak
Episod jerebu yang teruk telah
melanda Malaysia pada akhir bulan Jun hingga Oktober 2015 dan telah menyebabkan
peningkatan mendadak Indeks Pencemaran Udara (API) di seluruh negara. Kajian
ini dijalankan untuk menilai kesan daripada peristiwa jerebu kepada nilai sub-indeks
API sepanjang 10 hari tempoh pensampelan. Sampel udara (PM10) telah
dikumpulkan di kawasan terbuka di UiTM Jengka, Pahang dengan menggunakan alat pensampel
udara isipadu tinggi (HVAS). Kaedah pencernaan asid telah digunakan untuk
melarutkan sampel dan kepekatan logam berat telah dianalisis menggunakan spektrometer
pancaran optik plasma gandingan aruhan (ICP–OES). Sub-indeks API dikira
berdasarkan kaedah piawai yang digunakan oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS)
Malaysia. Hasil kajian menunjukkan perbezaan yang signifikan bagi jisim PM10
antara hari berjerebu dan bukan jerebu, yang direkodkan antara 28.4 μg/m3
hingga 132.9 μg/m3 dan 17.3 μg/m3 kepada 34.7 μg/m3
bagi masing-dua selang pensampelan, hari jerebu dan hari tidak jerebu.
Kepekatan jisim logam yang dikaji tidak menunjukkan sebarang perbezaan yang
signifikan antara kedua-dua selang yang menunjukkan konstituen lain zarah telah
menyumbang kepada berat PM10. Sub-indeks API paling tinggi semasa
hari jerebu telah direkodkan sebagai 89 yang diklasifikasikan sebagai
pencemaran udara tahap sederhana. Keputusan keseluruhan jelas menunjukkan bahawa
peristiwa jerebu telah meningkatkan jisim PM10 di udara sekitaran
tetapi tidak bagi kepekatan logam berat.
Kata kunci: sub-indeks
API, episod jerebu, alat pensampel udara isipadu
tinggi, jirim partikel kurang daripada 10 µm
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