Ambient BTEX levels over urban, suburban and rural areas in Malaysia

Abstract

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEX) are volatile organic air pollutants of concern which arise from natural and anthropogenic sources. This study aims to determine and evaluate the BTEX levels in ambient air in selected areas of Malaysia, namely: Kuala Lumpur (KL-urban), Penang (PG-urban), Bangi (BG-suburban), Langkawi (LGK-suburban) and the Danum Valley (DV-rural). Active sampling with sorbent tubes was applied in this study and samples were analysed using thermal desorption (TD) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Description

Keywords

VOCs, Active sampling, Gas chromatography, BTEX ratio, Cancer risk

Citation

Hamid, H. H. A., Latif, M. T., Nadzir, M. S. M., Uning, R., Khan, M. F., & Kannan, N. (2019). Ambient BTEX levels over urban, suburban and rural areas in Malaysia. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 12, 341-351.

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