Global Importance of Hydroxymethanesulfonate in Ambient Particulate Matter: Implications for Air Quality.

ABSTRACT: Sulfur compounds are an important constituent of particulate matter, with impacts on climate and public health. While most sulfur observed in particulate matter has been assumed to be sulfate, laboratory experiments reveal that hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS), an adduct formed by aqueous phase chemical reaction of dissolved HCHO and SO₂, may be easily misinterpreted in measurements as sulfate. Here we present observational and modeling evidence for a ubiquitous global presence of HMS. We find that filter samples collected in Shijiazhuang, China, and examined with ion chromatography within 9 days show as much as 7.6 μg m^-3 of HMS, while samples from Singapore examined 9-18 months after collection reveal ~0.6 μg m^-3 of HMS. The Shijiazhuang samples show only mi

SUBMITTER: Moch JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7685164 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature