Ambient levels of volatile organic compounds and criteria pollutants in the most industrialized area of central Iberian Peninsula: intercomparison with an urban site.

This work presents observations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including carbonyls, particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) (included in the most recent ambient air quality standards because of its harmful effect on health), PM10 and other important pollutants, CO, SO2, NOx and ozone, over the most industrialized area in the central Iberian Peninsula. Nearly two years of data obtained through a mobile laboratory are used for this purpose. Different concentration ratios and correlations were calculated to assess the effect of the anthropogenic or biogenic processes on the observed VOC levels. The diurnal profile for SO2 is different in Puertollano and it does not coincide with the maxima of the other primary pollutants such as benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX), CO and NO. This behaviour could be attributed to the fact that SO2 mainly comes from industrial activities. However, an impact of the industry on air quality was detected not only by the results obtained for SO2, but also by the toluene/benzene, T/B, ratio (7.5). Finally, correlations between meteorological conditions and pollution distribution have been considered; also, the analysis of the back trajectories together with Spearman correlation coefficients have been carried out to understand the origin and pathway in some events with unusual high pollutant values.