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Henry RC, Spiegelman CH, Collins JF, et al. Reported emissions of organic gases are not consistent with observations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997;94(13):6596-9doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.13.6596.
Henry, R. C., Spiegelman, C. H., Collins, J. F., & Park, E. (1997). Reported emissions of organic gases are not consistent with observations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 94(13), 6596-9. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.94.13.6596
Henry, R C, et al. "Reported emissions of organic gases are not consistent with observations." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 94,13 (1997): 6596-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.94.13.6596
Henry RC, Spiegelman CH, Collins JF, Park E. Reported emissions of organic gases are not consistent with observations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jun 24;94(13):6596-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.13.6596. PMID: 11038551; PMCID: PMC21203.
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Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Jun 24;94(13):6596-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.13.6596.

Reported emissions of organic gases are not consistent with observations.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

R C Henry, C H Spiegelman, J F Collins, E Park

Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2531, USA.

PMID: 11038551 PMCID: PMC21203 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.13.6596

Abstract

Regulatory agencies and photochemical models of ozone rely on self-reported industrial emission rates of organic gases. Incorrect self-reported emissions can severely impact on air quality models and regulatory decisions. We compared self-reported emissions of organic gases in Houston, Texas, to measurements at a receptor site near the Houston ship channel, a major petrochemical complex. We analyzed hourly observations of total nonmethane organic carbon and 54 hydrocarbon compounds from C-2 to C-9 for the period June through November, 1993. We were able to demonstrate severe inconsistencies between reported emissions and major sources as derived from the data using a multivariate receptor model. The composition and the location of the sources as deduced from the data are not consistent with the reported industrial emissions. On the other hand, our observationally based methods did correctly identify the location and composition of a relatively small nearby chemical plant. This paper provides strong empirical evidence that regulatory agencies and photochemical models are making predictions based on inaccurate industrial emissions.

References

  1. Environ Sci Technol. 1994 May 1;28(5):823-32 - PubMed

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