SOURCE RECEPTOR STUDY OF VOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS AND PARTICULATE MATTER IN THE KANAWHA VALLEY, WV .1. METHODS AND DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

The Kanawha Valley of West Virginia is a highly industrialized region stretching 100 km from Alloy in the southeast to Nitro in the north. The valley which contains the state capital, Charleston, has a population of approximately 250,000 and is noted for its chemical manufacturing industry. The valley itself is narrow and steeply-walled. The combination of topography, local meteorological conditions, and the chemical industry potentiate elevated concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted within the region. An integrated approach designed to assess pollutant exposure in this region was implemented between April 1987 and March 1988. Data were collected simultaneously on volatile organic compound concentrations, particle pH, inorganic gases, and meteorological parameters. Data were collected using a mobile van sampling platform at one of the three within-valley sites for 15 days each month. A discussion of sampling methodology and statistics describing pollutant concentrations are presented in this paper. Concentrations of most pollutants were found to be in agreement with those found by other researchers, except during a period when a forest fire influenced the air quality. The results suggest that multivariate relationships may be found that will be useful in source identification.