Spatial analysis and land use regression of VOCs and NO2 in Dallas, Texas during two seasons

Abstract

Passive air sampling for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and select volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was conducted at 24 fire stations and a compliance monitoring site in Dallas, Texas, USA during summer 2006 and winter 2008. This ambient air monitoring network was established to assess intra-urban gradients of air pollutants to evaluate the impact of traffic and urban emissions on air quality. Ambient air monitoring and GIS data from spatially representative fire station sites were collected to assess spatial variability. Pairwise comparisons were conducted on the ambient data from the selected sites based on city section. These weeklong samples yielded NO₂ and benzene levels that were generally higher during the winter than the summer. With respect to the location within the city, the central section of Dallas was generally higher for NO₂ and benzene than north and south. Land use regression (LUR) results revealed spatial gradients in NO₂ and selected VOCs in the central and some northern areas. The process used to select spatially representative sites for air sampling and the results of analyses of coarse- and fine-scale spatial variability of air pollutants on a seasonal basis provide insights to guide future ambient air exposure studies in assessing intra-urban gradients and traffic impacts.