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Organic films were collected from indoor and outdoor window surfaces in two large cities in southern China, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and analyzed to quantify the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the glass films, the highest concentration of total PAHs, predominantly phenanthrene, fluorene, fluoranthene, and pyrene, was found to be l400 ng/m2. The concentrations of PAHs in Guangzhou were usually higher than those in Hong Kong. In general, higher concentrations of PAHs on exterior window films in comparison with interior window films in both cities indicated that the outdoor air acted as a major source of pollution to the indoor environment. However, indoor air was a major source of some light-weight PAHs. Measurements made over time indicated that the growth rates of light-weight PAHs on window surfaces were fast at the beginning and then gradually reached a consistent level, whereas heavy-weight PAHs exhibited near-linear accumulation during the 40 days sampling period. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Organic films, collected from indoor and outdoor window surfaces in Guangzhou and Hong Kong of South China, were analyzed to quantify their organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) content. The highest concentrations of OC, EC, and BDE-209 were found in Guangzhou with values of 10 000 μg m−2, 2200 μg m−2, and 4000 ng m−2, respectively, and the highest concentration of Σ7PBDE (sum of BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154 and -183) was found in Hong Kong with a value of 25 ng m−2. In most cases, the concentrations of PBDEs were higher in the exterior films than those in the interior films with BDE-209 as the predominant congener in both cities, suggesting that PBDEs mainly come from ambient environment, and deca-BDE accounts for major PBDE consumption. The growth rates of organic film on window surfaces were fast at the beginning, and reached a consistent level afterwards. The evolution rates ranged from 2.6 to 11 nm day−1 for “bulk film”, while from 0.06 to 0.92 nm day−1 for “pure film”. The concentrations of PBDEs on the window surfaces did not increase with the growth time, suggesting that the window surface may provide a good place for photo-degradation of PBDEs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]