Abstract:
Objective To assess the carcinogenic risk of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Fengtai District, Beijing, China from 2015 to 2020.
Methods The concentration data of seven PM2.5-bound PAHs were collected in Fengtai District from 2015 to 2020, and toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) were used to calculate the equivalent quantity of seven carcinogenic PAHs based on the indicator pollutant benzoapyrene (BaPeq). The results were used to estimate the excessive cancer risk (ECR) and lost of life expectancy (LL) of the exposed population.
Results Analysis of atmospheric PM2.5 samples collected from Fengtai District from 2015 to 2020 revealed that the median of seven carcinogenic PM2.5-bound PAHs (Σ7PAHs) was 4.47 ng/m3. The ΣBaPeq of seven PM2.5-bound PAHs was 1.232 ng/m3, and the ECR caused by exposure to PM2.5-bound PAHs was 9.0×10-7, with an LL of 5.62 minutes. The ECR and LL caused by exposure to seven PM2.5-bound PAHs were both significantly greater in heavily polluted weather conditions than in non-heavily polluted weather conditions.
Conclusion The ECR caused by exposure to PM2.5-bound PAHs was within acceptable limits in Fengtai District, Beijing, from 2015 to 2020. Significant differences in ECR and LL due to exposure to PM2.5-bound PAHs exist between different pollution conditions.