Chemical Characteristics and Source-Specific Health Risks of the Volatile Organic Compounds in Urban Nanjing, China

Wang, Jingyun; Hao, Yue; Cui, Shijie; Zhang, Yunjiang; Li, Haiwei; Wang, Junfeng; Ge, Xinlei

doi:10.3390/toxics10120722

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…In this work, we further improved this method and for the first time, applied it to directly quantify the ALWC in ambient PM 2.5 in Nanjing during the summer of 2023. Our findings are also insightful for our understanding of ambient aerosol chemistry and toxicology in similar large cities like Nanjing with relatively significant air pollution issues [ 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Direct Measurement of Aerosol Liquid Water Content: A Case Study in Summer in Nanjing, China

Li,

Cui,

et al. 2024

Toxics

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Aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) affects the mass loading, optical properties, and toxicity of aerosols. However, the measurement of ALWC is very rare due to its requirement of sophisticated instruments and its high operational costs. In this work, we improved on our previous simple, low-cost method by using a combination of one real-time fine particulate matter (PM2.5) monitor and two turbidimeters and successfully applied these for the direct measurement of ALWC in PM2.5 in Nanjing during the summer of 2023. The average ALWC during this measurement period occupied ~1/6 of the total PM2.5 mass, and this contribution was even greater with the elevation in the PM2.5 concentration. The ALWC was, as anticipated, closely related to the relative humidity (RH) and PM2.5 concentrations, but it did not always increase with the air quality index (AQI) due to the fact that polluted periods in summer were often governed by high O3 levels, not PM2.5 levels. The ALWC also had a great impact on visibility; it could decrease the visibility rapidly to hazy conditions when the dry PM2.5 was not high (~30 μg m−3) or the AQI was “good” (75~100), indicating that the air quality classified as “good” using the dry PM2.5 concentration might actually be “lightly polluted” if the ALWC is included. We also found that the air mass originating from Northeast China had the lowest PM2.5 mass concentration yet the highest ALWC values due to its high RH. Moreover, the quantification of ALWC levels can help us understand the solubility/bioavailability and thus the toxic effects of some specific components (for example, heavy metals or organics). Moreover, the influence of ALWC on air quality classifications should also be considered in the assessment of the health effects of air pollution and in public health early warning and protection.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Direct Measurement of Aerosol Liquid Water Content: A Case Study in Summer in Nanjing, China

Li,

Cui,

et al. 2024

Toxics

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“…The current study provides useful insights for a better understanding of the exposure levels to benzene and the associated health impact in Ploieşti, despite the limitations determined by the data hiatus and incomplete or missing information regarding the health impact. Future work will consider an assessment of the multipollutant effects on health by including other VOCs in the analysis [ 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Three-Year Analysis of Toxic Benzene Levels and Associated Impact in Ploieşti City, Romania

Sanda,

Dunea,

Iordache

et al. 2023

Toxics

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This study examines the levels of benzene and the potential health impact during three years of continuous monitoring (2019–2021), including the COVID-lockdown period from 2020 in a city that is an important Romanian center for petroleum refining and associated product manufacturing. The dataset contains benzene, toluene, NOx, PM10 concentrations, and meteorological factors monitored by six automatic stations from the national network of which four are in the city and two outside. Special attention was given to the benzene dynamics to establish patterns related to the health impact and leukemia. An assessment of the exposure was performed using EPA’s ExpoFIRST v. 2.0 for computing the inhalation Average Daily Dose (ADD) and Lifetime Average Daily Dose (LADD). The health impact was estimated based on several indicators such as lifetime cancer risk (LCR), Hazard Quotient (HQ), Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY), and Environmental burden of disease (EBD). Overall, the annual average of all stations was almost similar between years i.e., 3.46 in 2019, 3.41 in 2020, and 3.63 µg/m3 in 2021, respectively. The average of all stations during the lockdown period was 2.67 µg/m3, which was lower than the multiannual average of the 2019–2021 period, i.e., 3.5 µg/m3. Significant correlations were present between benzene and other pollutants such as NOx (r = 0.57), PM10 fraction (r = 0.70), and toluene (r = 0.69), and benzene and temperature (r = −0.46), humidity (r = 0.28), and wind speed (r = −0.34). Regarding the ADD, in all scenarios, the most affected age categories are small children, despite a lower outdoor exposure time. From birth to <70 years, the ADD varied depending on the exposure scenario resulting in 3.27 × 10−4, 5.6 × 10−4, and 4.04 × 104 mg/kg-day, and 3.95 × 10−4, 10.6 × 10−4, and 6.76 × 10−4 mg/kg-day for the LADD, respectively. The Integrated Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILTCR) values were 14.1 × 10−5 in winter, 9.04 × 10−5 in spring, 8.74 × 10−5 in summer, and 10.6 × 10−4 in autumn. The ILTCR annual averages were 1.08 × 10−4 (2019), 1.07 × 10−4 (2020), 1.04 × 10−4 (2021), and 1.06 × 10−4 for the entire period. The resulting ILTCR values point out very risky conditions, with the annual averages reaching the definite cancer risk category. The corresponding burden based on the DALY’s loss due to leukemia in Ploieşti was estimated at 0.291 (2 μg/m3 benzene), 0.509 (3.5 μg/m3 benzene), 0.582 (4 μg/m3 benzene), and 0.873 DALYs per 100,000 inhabitants (6 μg/m3 benzene), respectively. The current study provides useful insights for a better understanding of the exposure levels to benzene and associated health impact in Ploieşti despite the limitations determined by the data hiatus and incomplete or missing information regarding the health impact.

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“…The LCR value indicates the probability of cancer occurrence and is usually expressed in terms of the number of individuals with cancer in a certain population. For example, the carcinogenic risk value is 10 −6 -10 −4 , that is, one cancer patient will be added for every 10,000 to 1 million people [24]; HQ is the value obtained by dividing the average exposure concentration by the reference concentration, indicating the maximum amount of pollutants that will not cause adverse reactions in the human body ingested per unit weight per unit time. The average daily dose of any compound (E D , mg•kg −1 day −1 ) was calculated using Equation (1) [25].…”

Section: Health Risk Calculationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, some researchers have found that compounds with non-carcinogenic risks higher than 0.1 may also have potential non-carcinogenic risks [30]. For cancer risk, a compound with a risk value >1.0 × 10 −4 is considered an "identified risk", a compound with a risk value between 1.0 × 10 −5 and 1.0 × 10 −6 is a "possible risk", and a compound with a risk value less than 1.0 × 10 −6 is a negligible risk [24]. Species with potential risks were also presented in this study.…”

Section: Health Risk Calculationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds: Concentration Characteristics and Health Risk Analysis on a University Campus

Jin

Liu

Zhang

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major indoor air pollutants that contain several toxic substances. However, there are few studies on health risk assessments of indoor VOCs in China. This study aimed to determine the concentration characteristics of VOCs on college campuses by collecting VOC samples from different locations on campus during different seasons combined with the exposure times of college students in each location obtained from a questionnaire survey to assess the possible health risks. The highest total VOC concentration (254 ± 101 µg/m3) was in the dormitory. The seasonal variation of TVOC concentrations was related to the variation of emission sources in addition to temperature. Health risk assessments of VOCs were evaluated using non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk values, represented by hazard quotient (HQ) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR), respectively. The non-carcinogenic risks at all sampling sites were within the safe range (HQ < 1). Dormitories had the highest carcinogenic risk, whereas the carcinogenic risk in the other three places was low (with LCR < 1.0 × 10−6). Moreover, 1,2-dichloroethane was identified as a possible carcinogenic risk substance in the dormitory due to its high LCR (1.95 × 10−6). This study provides basic data on health risks in different locations on campus and a basis for formulating measures to improve people’s living environments.

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Chemical Characteristics and Source-Specific Health Risks of the Volatile Organic Compounds in Urban Nanjing, China

Cited by 8 publications

References 100 publications

Direct Measurement of Aerosol Liquid Water Content: A Case Study in Summer in Nanjing, China

Direct Measurement of Aerosol Liquid Water Content: A Case Study in Summer in Nanjing, China

A Three-Year Analysis of Toxic Benzene Levels and Associated Impact in Ploieşti City, Romania

Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds: Concentration Characteristics and Health Risk Analysis on a University Campus

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