Household air pollution and personal exposure risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among rural residents in Shanxi, China

• Published in: Indoor air Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 246 - 258
• Main Authors: Chen, Y., Shen, G., Huang, Y., Zhang, Y., Han, Y., Wang, R., Shen, H., Su, S., Lin, N., Zhu, D., Pei, L., Zheng, X., Wu, J., Wang, X., Liu, W., Wong, M., Tao, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2016; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor - statistics & numerical data; Cancer risks; China; Cooking fuel; Dietary exposure; Environmental health; Environmental Monitoring; Exposure; Household air pollution; Houses; Indoor; Indoor air quality; Ingestion; Inhalation Exposure - analysis; Inhalation Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Inhaled exposure; Outdoor; Polyallylamine hydrochloride; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Risk; Risk Assessment; Rural Population; Wood; China, People's Rep; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Cooking fuel; Household air pollution; Inhaled exposure; Cancer risks; Dietary exposure
• ISSN: 0905-6947; 1600-0668
• DOI: 10.1111/ina.12204

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of pollutants of widespread concerns. Gaseous and size‐segregated particulate‐phase PAHs were collected in indoor and outdoor air in rural households. Personal exposure was measured and compared to the ingestion exposure. The average concentrations of 28 parent PAHs and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were 9000 ± 8390 and 131 ± 236 ng/m3 for kitchen, 2590 ± 2270 and 43 ± 95 ng/m3 for living room, and 2800 ± 3890 and 1.6 ± 0.7 ng/m3 for outdoor air, respectively. The mass percent of high molecular weight (HMW) compounds with 5–6 rings contributed 1.3% to total 28 parent PAHs. Relatively higher fractions of HMW PAHs were found in indoor air compared to outdoor air. Majorities of particle‐bound PAHs were found in the finest PM0.25, and the highest levels of fine PM0.25‐bound PAHs were in the kitchen using peat and wood as energy sources. The 24‐h personal PAH exposure concentration was 2100 ± 1300 ng/m3. Considering energies, exposures to those using wood were the highest. The PAH inhalation exposure comprised up to about 30% in total PAH exposure through food ingestion and inhalation, and the population attributable fraction (PAF) for lung cancer in the region was 0.85%. The risks for inhaled and ingested intakes of PAHs were 1.0 × 10−5 and 1.1 × 10−5, respectively.