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We report aircraft observations of extreme levels of HCl and the dihalogens Cl2, Br2, and BrCl in an industrial plume near the Great Salt Lake, Utah. Complete depletion of O3was observed concurrently with halogen enhancements as a direct result of photochemically produced halogen radicals. Observed fluxes for Cl2, HCl, and NOxagreed with facility-reported emissions inventories. Bromine emissions are not required to be reported in the inventory, but are estimated as 173 Mg year–1Br2and 949 Mg year–1BrCl, representing a major uncounted oxidant source. A zero-dimensional photochemical box model reproduced the observed O3depletions and demonstrated that bromine radical cycling was principally responsible for the rapid O3depletion. Inclusion of observed halogen emissions in both the box model and a 3D chemical model showed significant increases in oxidants and particulate matter (PM2.5) in the populated regions of the Great Salt Lake Basin, where winter PM2.5is among the most severe air quality issues in the U.S. The model shows regional PM2.5increases of 10%–25% attributable to this single industrial halogen source, demonstrating the impact of underreported industrial bromine emissions on oxidation sources and air quality within a major urban area of the western U.S.

Indoor gas-phase radical sources are poorly understood but expected to be much different from outdoors. Several potential radical sources were measured in a windowless, light-emitting diode (LED)-lit room in a college athletic facility over a 2 week period. Alternating measurements between the room air and the supply air of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system allowed an assessment of sources. Use of a chlorine-based cleaner was a source of several photolabile reactive chlorine compounds, including ClNO2and Cl2. During cleaning events, photolysis rates for these two compounds were up to 0.0023 pptv min–1, acting as a source of chlorine atoms even in this low-light indoor environment. Unrelated to cleaning events, elevated ClNO2was often observed during daytime and lost to ventilation. The nitrate radical (NO3), which is rapidly photolyzed outdoors during daytime, may persist in low-light indoor environments. With negligible photolysis, loss rates of NO3indoors were dominated by bimolecular reactions. At times with high NO2and O3ventilated from outdoors, N2O5was observed. Elevated ClNO2measured concurrently suggests the formation through heterogeneous reactions, acting as an additional source of reactive chlorine within the athletic facility and outdoors.