Sources of fine organic aerosol .7. Hot asphalt roofing tar pot fumes

The organic compounds present in fine particulate roofing asphalt tar fumes are characterized using GC/MS techniques. Most of the compound mass identified consists of n-alkanes (73%). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and thia-arenes (S-PAH) contribute nearly 8% of the identified compound mass and account for 0.57% of the total mass emissions. When compared to the PAH mass fraction determined in fine particulate exhaust emitted from catalyst-equipped automobiles (similar to 0.5%) and heavy-duty diesel trucks (similar to 0.1%), roofing tar pot aerosols show a PAH content similar to that of vehicular exhaust.