Polycycl. Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure of Children in Typical Household Coal Combustion Environments: Seasonal Variations, Sources, and Carcinogenic Risks

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions from the combustion of household solid coal for cooking and heating cause great harm to public health in China, especially in less developed areas. Children are one of the most susceptible population groups at risk of indoor air pollutants due to their immature respiratory and immune systems. However, information on PAH exposure of children is limited due to limited monitoring data. In this study, we aimed to assess the seasonal differences of PAHs in classrooms, analyze the pollutant sources, and calculate the incremental lifetime cancer risk attributable to PAHs in Shanxi Provence. A typical school using household coal combustion in Shanxi Province was selected. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5)samples were collected by both individual samplers and fixed middle-flow samplers during the heating and non-heating seasons in December 2018 and April 2019. The PAH concentrations in PM2.5 samples were analyzed by a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. The results showed that PAH concentrations in PM2.5 varied between 89.1 ng/m3 in the heating season and 1.75 ng/m3 in the non-heating season. The mean concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a carcinogenic marker of PAHs, were 10.3 and 0.05 ng/m3 in the heating and non-heating seasons, respectively. Source allocation analysis of individual portable and passive samplers revealed that the main contributors during heating and non-heating seasons were coal combustion and gasoline sources, respectively. According to the results of a Monte Carlo simulation, the incremental lifetime cancer risk values from the inhalation of PAHs in the heating and non-heating seasons were 3.1 × 10−6 and 5.7 × 10−8, respectively. The significant increase in PAHs and the incremental lifetime cancer risk in the heating season indicates that children are more exposed to health threats in winter. Further PAH exposure control strategies, including reducing coal usage and promoting clean fuel applications, need to be developed to reduce the risk of PAH-induced cancer.

Pollution Sources and Carcinogenic Risk of PAHs in PM1 Particle Fraction in an Urban Area

“…All of the sampled variables were sampled randomly and independently. The information on variable distributions was taken from Chen and Lia [ 17 ] and Liu et al [ 18 ]. We sampled the TCP from our own data after log-transforming them, separately for warm and cold seasons.…”

“…A recent study by Yang et al [ 15 ] found that both PM 1 and PM 2.5 levels were associated with poorer lung function in children, with stronger associations for PM 1 compared to PM 2.5 , pointing to the importance of regulating finer PM fractions. Furthermore, a lot of previous health risk estimations were carried out taking into account larger fractions of particulate matter (PM 10 or even total suspended particles), which do not enter deeply into the respiratory system [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Exposure to Particulate PAHs on Potential Genotoxicity and Cancer Risk among School Children Living Near the Petrochemical Industry

“…Therefore, Monte Carlo simulation with 10,000 iterations was employed in this study to appraise the probabilistic ILCR range of children exposed to PAHs for the exposed and comparative schools. The simulation also integrated the uncertainty and variability of the measured PAH concentrations and the specific determinant of children’s exposure [ 47 , 50 , 51 ]. Afterwards, sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify input parameters that significantly influence the estimated risk.…”

Short-Term Effects of “Polish Smog” on Cardiovascular Mortality in the Green Lungs of Poland: A Case-Crossover Study with 4,500,000 Person-Years (PL-PARTICLES Study)

“…It was also found that household solid fuel use is associated with an increased stroke risk [39]. Indoor coal combustion processes are known for their contribution to the generation of highly hazardous PAH [40,41].…”