PAHs modelling over urban area of Rome: Integration of models results with experimental data

Abstract

The identification and quantification of population exposure of children and elderly people to PAHs in urban areas are the major goals of the EXPAH LIFE+ Project (www.ispesl.it/expah). To reach these objectives an integrated approach, based on measurements and modeling techniques, has been set up to preliminarily reconstruct PAHs levels in the Rome metropolitan area. Field campaigns of particulate PAHs and PM2.5 have been performed in different sites and microenvironments from December 2011 to July 2012. These data were essential to evaluate and integrate results of the Flexible Air quality Regional Model (FARM) that has been run from June 2011 to May 2012. PAHs modeled concentrations are presented for the city of Rome as well as a comparison with observations. Capabilities and limits in modeling PAHs in urban areas are then discussed.