Sources, deposition flux and carcinogenic potential of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea (Gdynia, Poland)

Abstract

Concentrations of 16 PAHs of different molecular weight and carcinogenic potency were measured in PM2.5 aerosols collected in the coastal zone of southern Baltic Sea (Gdynia, Poland) during the end of the heating and beginning of the non-heating season of 2012. Obtained results showed that coal combustion (pyrogenic source) contributed to the highest emission of PAHs during the heating season. However, similar concentrations of highly carcinogenic PAHs were detected in the non-heating period. The analysis of prevailing wind directions, air mass trajectories and diagnostic PAH ratios revealed that in addition to land transport emission (mainly from diesel vehicles), the increase in sea shipping traffic during the non-heating season contributed to the high concentrations of detected carcinogenic PAHs. We conclude that the increasing maritime activity in the southern Baltic Sea region might have an adverse effect on both environmental and human health. Therefore, it should receive more attention by the Polish government as a pollutant source.

The Influence of Transport on PAHs and Other Carbonaceous Species’ (OC, EC) Concentration in Aerosols in the Coastal Zone of the Gulf of Gdansk (Gdynia)

“…The ring road connects all the cities of the Tri-City (Gdansk, Sopot, Gdynia) and at the same time a route leading to the Hel Peninsula, which is one of the places most visited by tourists on the Polish Baltic coast during the holidays. Its significance for the increase in EC concentration in aerosols has already been reported in this area of research [34,58,61,74].…”

“…At that time, the atmospheric pressure was also characterized by the highest range of values (from 1002 to 1033 hPa). The increase in atmospheric pressure reduces the speed of air circulation and prevents the transfer of PAHs from aerosol to gaseous form [61]. For this reason, during the morning hours of school period, when the air humidity and atmospheric pressure were higher, higher concentrations of the analyzed PAHs in aerosols >3 µm of diameter could be recorded.…”

Spatiotemporal Gradients of PAH Concentrations in Greek Cities and Associated Exposure Impacts

“…Comparing the values with other cities, the exposure levels were lower compared to Asian megacities like Xi’an (17 ng m −3 ) [ 123 ] and Taiyuan (28 ng m −3 ) [ 124 ]; however, the levels in Ioannina seemed to approach those extreme values. The other cities presented similar values to Zagreb, Croatia (4.5 ng m −3 ) [ 125 ], and Istanbul, Turkey (5.5 ng m −3 ) [ 126 ], but higher values than Gdynia, Poland (0.9 ng m −3 ) [ 127 ]; Győr, Hungary (1.4–2.2 ng m −3 ) [ 128 ]; southern Germany (2.7 ng m-3) [ 129 ]; Tuscany, Italy (0.1–0.8 ng m −3 ) [ 130 ]; and Santander, Spain (0.11–0.23 ng m −3 ) [ 131 ]. In conclusion, ILCR risks at all sites were above the minimum acceptable threshold, highlighting the significant impact of biomass burning on air quality and population exposure on a national level.…”

The Ability of Airborne Microalgae and Cyanobacteria to Survive and Transfer the Carcinogenic Benzo(a)pyrene in Coastal Regions

“…Moreover, in our experiment, we observed a decrease in the number of cells for each type of cyanobacteria at the lowest temperature (10 °C) after the addition of a small concentration of B(a)P (7.8 ng mL −1 ). This could be attributed to the low number of these organisms’ cells during the winter period in aerosols over the southern Baltic Sea region, when the air is known to be the most polluted with PAHs [ 12 , 43 ]. It also confirms the fact that the occurrence of specific cellular processes is closely related to the temperature preferences of organisms.…”

“…The test was performed with 3 replicates. These values were chosen to correspond to B(a)P concentrations in atmospheric particulate matter over the Gulf of Gdansk, ranging from 0.5 to 40 ng m −3 (0.5, 1, 5, 20, 40 ng m −3 ), based on previous monitoring of B(a)P concentration in the air over Gdynia (Gulf of Gdansk, Poland) [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. The selected concentrations covered a range from low values to values well above the permissible annual average value for B(a)P in PM10 in EU countries, which is 1 ng m −3 (Directive 2004/107/WE).…”