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Annual air pollution caused by the Hungry Ghost Festival
- Source :
- Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. 17:1578-1586
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), 2015.
-
Abstract
- Burning of joss paper and incense is still a very common traditional custom in countries with a majority Chinese population. The Hungry Ghost Festival which is celebrated in the 7 month of the Chinese calendar is one of the events where joss paper and incense are burned as offerings. This study investigates the impact of the Ghost Month Festival (open burning event) on air quality by analysis of the chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) and rainwater samples collected during this event, compared with data collected throughout the year, as well as bottom ash samples from burning the original joss paper and incense. The results showed that the change in the chemical composition of the rainwater and PM2.5 (PM ≤ 2.5 μm) atmospheric samples could be correlated directly with burning events during this festival, with many elements increasing between 18% and 60% during August and September compared to the yearly mean concentrations. The order of percentage increase in elemental composition (in rain water and PM2.5) during the Hungry Ghost Festival is as follows: Zn > Ca > K > Mg > Fe > Al > Na ∼ Mn ∼ Ti ∼ V > Cu > As > Ni > Co > Cd > Cr > Pb. The chemical composition of the original source materials (joss paper and incense for combustion) and their associated bottom ash were analysed to explain the impact of burning on air quality. MOE (Min. of Education, S’pore) Published version
- Subjects :
- Paper
China
Air pollution
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
medicine.disease_cause
Fires
Incense
Rainwater harvesting
Air Pollution
medicine
Environmental Chemistry
Air quality index
Chemical composition
Holidays
Air Pollutants
Elemental composition
air pollutant
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Environmental engineering
General Medicine
Particulates
human activities
Bottom ash
Environmental chemistry
Environmental science
Particulate Matter
Environmental Monitoring
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20507895 and 20507887
- Volume :
- 17
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4cd85db1dde40dbcf117305d18e74c77