Dietary intake is one of the major exposure pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ... more Dietary intake is one of the major exposure pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), especially in Chinese people because foods are often prepared with grilling and/or frying that would produce high levels of PAHs. In this paper, we assessed daily dietary intakes (DDI) of PAHs, using a "duplicate plate method", among 100 Chinese urban residents. The DDI of benzo(a)pyrene ranged from 0.06 μg per day to 13.5 μg per day with a median of 0.69 μg per day, varying largely across subjects. The median Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) attributable to PAH dietary intake was 6.65 × 10(-5) (4.41 × 10(-5) to 1.02 × 10(-4) as inter-quartile range). The contribution of several high-PAH containing foods like barbecued, smoked or deep-fried meats to the overall DDIs was about 13%. The use of raw foods may underestimate dietary intake of PAHs and associated exposure risk considerably. Results from foods sampled in different seasons suggested that seasonal variability with...
Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), Jan 6, 2015
Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is an enzyme involved in the metabolic activation of certain carcino... more Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is an enzyme involved in the metabolic activation of certain carcinogens, and inducible by toxic substrates. To date, few studies have investigated in vivo CYP1A2 induction in humans and its relationship to polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Non-smoking healthy male coke-oven workers (n = 30) were recruited as 'exposure' group, and non-smoking healthy office workers in the same city (n = 10) were selected as 'control' group, to test whether high inhalation exposure to PAHs can induce CYP1A2 activity in human livers. Significantly higher inhalation exposure of PAHs were found among the exposure group compared to the control. Inhalation BaP exposure concentration in the exposure group was more than 30 times higher than the control group (p < 0.001). However, the exposure group did not exhale significant higher levels of (13)CO2/(12)CO2 in breath samples (p = 0.81), and no significant relationship was found ...
Exposure to PM2.5 is a leading environmental risk factor for many diseases and premature deaths, ... more Exposure to PM2.5 is a leading environmental risk factor for many diseases and premature deaths, arousing growing public concerns. In this study, indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations were investigated during the heating and non-heating seasons in an urban area in northwest China. Personal inhalation exposure levels among different age groups were evaluated, and the difference attributable to different cooking fuels including coal, gas and electricity, was discussed. The average concentrations of PM2.5 in the kitchen and the bedroom were 125±51 and 119±64μg/m(3) during the heating season, and 80±67 and 80±50μg/m(3) during the non-heating season, respectively. Indoor PM2.5, from indoor combustion sources but also outdoor penetration, contributed to about 75% of the total PM2.5 exposure. Much higher indoor concentrations and inhalation exposure levels were found in households using coal for cooking compared to those using gas and electricity. Changing from coal to gas or electricity...
Widespread use of solid fuels affects indoor/outdoor air quality, human health, and climate chang... more Widespread use of solid fuels affects indoor/outdoor air quality, human health, and climate change significantly. Replacing traditional solid fuels with affordable cleaner fuels is a challenge for most developing countries. In this study, carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) emissions and financial costs of a potential cleaner fuel-pelletized biofuels were compared to those of traditional solid fuels, including coal, crop residue, and wood, and a conventional modern fuel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), in terms of fuel-mass-based emission factor (EF), delivered-energy-based emission factor (EF E ), and delivered-energy-based cost (C E ). The combustions of pelletized fuels and LPG had not only relatively higher thermal efficiencies but also lower EFs, leading to much lower EF E of these cleaner fuels. The adoption of pelletized fuels burned in a modern pellet burner could reduce pollutant emissions significantly in comparison to traditional solid fuels. When both EF E and C E are taken into consideration, it could be found that the nearly free ordinary biomass fuels and high-cost coals had much higher pollutant emissions, while LPG was the most expensive, although it would produce the lowest emission. Pelletized fuels appear to be a good alternative in rural households because of not only lower pollutant emissions but also relatively low cost. Future studies, including but not limited to emission measurements, potential reductions in air concentrations and health outcome, systematic cost−benefit analysis, and identification of key enablers and barriers affecting the large-scale uptake, are strongly recommended.
Residential solid fuels are widely consumed in rural China, contributing to severe household air ... more Residential solid fuels are widely consumed in rural China, contributing to severe household air pollution for many products of incomplete combustion, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their polar derivatives. In this study, concentrations of nitrated and oxygenated PAH derivatives (nPAHs and oPAHs) for household and personal air were measured and analyzed for influencing factors like smoking and cooking energy type. Concentrations of nPAHs and oPAHs in kitchens were higher than those in living rooms and in outdoor air. Exposure levels measured by personal samplers were lower than levels in indoor air, but higher than outdoor air levels. With increasing molecular weight, individual compounds tended to be more commonly partitioned to particulate matter (PM); moreover, higher molecular weight nPAHs and oPAHs were preferentially found in finer particles, suggesting a potential for increased health risks. Smoking behavior raised the concentrations of nPAHs and oPAHs in...
A previous study on PM 2.5 carbonaceous aerosols measured with the thermal optical reflectance (T... more A previous study on PM 2.5 carbonaceous aerosols measured with the thermal optical reflectance (TOR) method in fourteen Chinese cities is extended by subdividing total EC into char-EC and soot-EC. Average char-EC concentrations show great differences between the fourteen cities and between winter and summer periods, with concentrations of 8.67 and 2.41 mg m À3 in winter and summer, respectively.
Hundreds of millions of rural residents have migrated to cities in recent years in China. Differe... more Hundreds of millions of rural residents have migrated to cities in recent years in China. Different lifestyles and living conditions lead to substantial changes in their household energy. Here we present the result of a survey on direct household energy use of low skilled rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing. The migrants moved up the energy ladder immediately after arriving in the city by replacing biomass fuels with coal, electricity, and liquefied petroleum gas. After the original shift, pattern of household energy use by the migrants has not changed much over decades, likely due to the long-existing household registration system (Hukou). As a result, the mix of energy types used by the rural-to-urban migrants were different from those by long-term urban residents although total quantities were similar. Shifting from biomass fuels to coal, the migrants emitted 2.4 times more non-neutral CO2 than rural residents, and 14% more than urban residents. Meantime, the migration also result...
The concentration and composition of PAHs emitted from biomass cooking fuel were characterized in... more The concentration and composition of PAHs emitted from biomass cooking fuel were characterized in a rural non-smoking household in northern China. Twenty-two parent PAHs (pPAHs), 12 nitro-PAHs (nPAHs), and 4 oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in the kitchen, bedroom, and outdoors during both summer and winter. The most severe contamination occurred in the kitchen in the winter, where the daily mean concentrations of pPAHs, nPAHs, and oPAHs were 7500 ± 4100, 38 ± 29, and 8400 ± 9200 ng/m(3), respectively. Our results suggest that the nPAHs were largely from secondary formation in ambient air while oPAHs were either from primary emission of biomass burning or secondary formation from pPAHs in the kitchen. The daily mean benzo(a)pyrene equivalent exposure concentration was as high as 200 ± 160 ng/m(3) in the winter for the housewife who did the cooking compared to 59 ± 37 ng/m(3) for the control group that did not cook.
Optical properties of particulate matter are of growing concern due to their complex effects on a... more Optical properties of particulate matter are of growing concern due to their complex effects on atmospheric visibility and local/regional climate change. In this study, mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of elemental carbon (EC) was measured for source emission samples obtained from the residential combustions of solid fuels using a thermal-optical carbon analyzer. For source samples from residential wood, crop straw, biomass pellet and coal combustions, MAE of EC measured at 650 nm, were 3.1 (2.4-3.7 as 95% Confidence Interval), 6.6 (5.5-7.6), 9.5 (6.7-12), and 7.9 (4.8-11) m2 g-1, respectively. MAE of EC for source sample from the wood combustion was significantly lower than those for the other fuels, and MAE of EC for coal briquette appeared to be different from that of raw chunk. MAE values of the investigated source emission samples were found to correlate with OC/EC ratio, and a significantly positive correlation was found between MAE and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydro...
Residential solid fuel combustion is a major source of many pollutants, resulting in significant ... more Residential solid fuel combustion is a major source of many pollutants, resulting in significant impacts on air quality and human health. Improved stoves, especially some modern gasifier biomass models, are being deployed to alleviate household and ambient air pollution. Pollutant emissions from coal burning in improved metal stoves (n=11) and wood combustion in modern gasifier stoves (n=8) were measured in field in Hubei, China. The emissions of CO, TSP, OC, EC and PAHs from coal burning in the improved iron stoves were generally lower than previously reported results for coal in traditional stoves. For pollutants from wood combustion in the gasifier stoves, the emissions were less than literature-reported values for wood burned in traditional stoves, comparable to those in improved stoves, but appeared to be higher than those for pellets in gasifier stoves in laboratory tests. The limitations of scarce data and large variances result in statistical insignificance. Daily emissions ...
ABSTRACT Household fuel-use (HFU) patterns are strongly associated with multiple effects, includi... more ABSTRACT Household fuel-use (HFU) patterns are strongly associated with multiple effects, including air quality, human health, and regional climate change. This paper presents the results from the first Chinese Environmental Exposure-Related Human Activity Patterns Survey (CEERHAPS), carried out among 91,121 households located in 9108 villages, 636 towns, and 159 counties in 31 provinces. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with each participant to obtain information about the type of fuels used for cooking and heating. The main objectives of this paper were to investigate HFU for cooking and heating in China, to validate the World Health Organization (WHO) model, and to help inform local evaluation models. In China, gas and biomass fuels, the dominant energy fuels for cooking, are used by 44.8% and 32.1% of households, respectively. Approximately 34.1% of families have no household heating during the cold season, and 16.7%, 15.6% and 12.8% of households rely on coal, electricity, and biomass, respectively, for household heating when no central heating was available. The proportion of households using solid fuels has generally decreased during the last two decades. Considerable spatial variation was evident in the HFU patterns for both cooking and heating. The data revealed that the predominant fuel for cooking was biomass (47.6%) in rural populations, whereas urban households were more likely to cook with gas (65.8%). In terms of heating, coal (21.4%) and biomass (19.0%) were the main fuels used in rural households, while electricity (23.6%) and coal (10.5%) were more commonly used in urban areas. The overall HFU results for cooking from this study were comparable to those predicted using the WHO model. We also developed models at the provincial level to estimate HFU for cooking and heating in China; it is expected that the model, if confirmed by future studies, could be used for future research on household air pollution, domestic human exposure and burden of disease.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of pollutants of widespread concerns. Gaseous... more 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/m(3) for kitchen, 2590±2270 and 43±95 ng/m(3) for living room, and 2800±3890 and 1.6±0.7 ng/m(3) 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/m(3) . Considering energies, exposures to those usi...
ABSTRACT The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is one of the regions with the most dynamic economy and se... more ABSTRACT The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is one of the regions with the most dynamic economy and severe atmospheric pollution in China. In order to characterize the particle features, especially the carbonaceous component in the YRD, particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm (PM10) samples in each season were collected in urban Nanjing, a typical city that locates in the west part of the YRD. The organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) was differentiated using the thermal optical reflectance method. The average concentrations of PM2.5, OC and EC during the study periods were observed to be 117.6, 13.8, and 5.3 μg/m3 respectively, with all the highest levels in winter. The mass fraction of the Total carbonaceous aerosol (TCA) in PM2.5 was estimated at 23% on average, lower than those reported for other cities in the YRD. The OC and EC correlated well in all the seasons, especially in spring and winter, implying that OC and EC were attributed to common emission sources. Good correlation was observed between OC and estimated K+ from biomass burning in the harvest season in autumn and summer, indicating biomass burning a significant source of carbonaceous aerosols. This could also be confirmed by the lower fraction of OC3 + OC4 in OC during autumn and summer. The secondary organic carbon (SOC) estimated by EC-tracer method was the highest in winter (7.3 μg/m3) followed by autumn (6.7 μg/m3), summer (3.7 μg/m3) and spring (2.0 μg/m3). However, the SOC/OC in winter was not as high as that in summer and autumn, implying the high concentration of OC in winter was probably due to the stable weather but not mainly caused by SOC formation. The high SOC/OC ratio in summer was attributed to stronger oxidation, which could be suggested by higher sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR).
Atmospheric environment (Oxford, England : 1994), 2012
Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stag... more Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stage, there were limited studies on the emissions of various organic pollutants from the burning of those pellets. In addition to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) have been received increased concerns. In this study, emission factors of oPAHs (EFoPAHs) were measured for two types of pellets made from corn straw and pine wood, respectively. Two combustion modes with (mode II) and without (mode I) secondary side air supply in a modern pellet burner were investigated. For the purpose of comparison, EFoPAHs for raw fuels combusted in a traditional cooking stove were also measured. EFoPAHs were 348±305 and 396±387 µg/kg in the combustion mode II for pine wood and corn straw pellets, respectively. In mode I, measured EFoPAHs were 77.7±49.4 and 189±118 µg/kg, respectively. EFs in mode II were higher (2-5 times) than those in mode I mainly due to the decreased combus...
Environmental science and pollution research international, 2014
Smoked meat is widely consumed in many areas, particularly in rural southwest China. High concent... more Smoked meat is widely consumed in many areas, particularly in rural southwest China. High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked meat could lead to adverse dietary exposure and health risks. In this study, 27 parent PAHs (pPAHs), 12 nitrated PAHs (nPAHs), and 4 oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in coal- and wood-smoked meats. The median concentrations of pPAHs, nPAHs, and oPAHs were as high as 1.66 × 10(3), 4.29, and 20.5 ng/g in the coal-smoked meat and 2.54 × 10(3), 7.32, and 9.26 ng/g in the wood-smoked meat, respectively. Based on the relative potency factors of individual PAHs, the calculated toxic equivalent (TEQ) values of all pPAHs were 22.1 and 75.1 ng TEQ/g for the wood- and coal-smoked meats, respectively. The highest concentrations of PAHs can be found in the surface layer of skin and decrease exponentially with depth. Surface PAH concentrations correlated with concentrations of PAHs in household air and with the concentration in emission...
Twelve nitro-PAHs (nPAHs) and four oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in air samples for 12 months at... more Twelve nitro-PAHs (nPAHs) and four oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in air samples for 12 months at 18 sites in urban settings, rural villages, or rural fields in northern China. The nPAH concentrations were higher in urban areas (1.3 ± 1.3 ng/m(3)), and nPAH/parent PAH ratios were higher (suggesting important contributions from motor vehicles and secondary formation) in urban sites than in rural villages. oPAHs are primarily emitted from solid fuel combustion and motor vehicles, and similar oPAH concentrations were found in urban areas (23 ± 20 ng/m(3)) and rural villages (29 ± 24 ng/m(3)). The high numbers of motor vehicles in Beijing and intensive industrial activity in Taiyuan and Dezhou caused higher nPAH concentrations. No spatial trend in oPAH concentrations was found in the rural villages, because similar oPAH mixtures are emitted from solild fuel combustion. The nPAH and oPAH concentrations were higher in the winter, and correlated with residential energy consumption and prec...
There is wide concern about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) because of their carcinogenic... more There is wide concern about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) because of their carcinogenic and mutagenic potential. The coking industry is an important source of PAHs. In this study, 36 arable soil samples, a sensitive medium from the perspective of food safety and health, were collected from one of the largest coke production bases in China. The concentration of total 21 PAHs ranged from 294 to 1665ngg(-1), with a mean of 822±355ngg(-1). Approximately 60% of the soil samples were heavily polluted with the level higher than 600ngg(-1). Particularly high abundances of high molecular weight PAHs were found, and the calculated BaPeq was as high as 54.3ngg(-1). Soil PAH levels were positively correlated with soil organic matter content. The soil PAHs were from complex mixture sources, and high-temperature pyrogenic sources were most likely responsible for the heavy PAH contamination. Effective control strategies and probable remediation approaches should be proposed to improve so...
Dietary intake is one of the major exposure pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ... more Dietary intake is one of the major exposure pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), especially in Chinese people because foods are often prepared with grilling and/or frying that would produce high levels of PAHs. In this paper, we assessed daily dietary intakes (DDI) of PAHs, using a "duplicate plate method", among 100 Chinese urban residents. The DDI of benzo(a)pyrene ranged from 0.06 μg per day to 13.5 μg per day with a median of 0.69 μg per day, varying largely across subjects. The median Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) attributable to PAH dietary intake was 6.65 × 10(-5) (4.41 × 10(-5) to 1.02 × 10(-4) as inter-quartile range). The contribution of several high-PAH containing foods like barbecued, smoked or deep-fried meats to the overall DDIs was about 13%. The use of raw foods may underestimate dietary intake of PAHs and associated exposure risk considerably. Results from foods sampled in different seasons suggested that seasonal variability with...
Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), Jan 6, 2015
Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is an enzyme involved in the metabolic activation of certain carcino... more Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is an enzyme involved in the metabolic activation of certain carcinogens, and inducible by toxic substrates. To date, few studies have investigated in vivo CYP1A2 induction in humans and its relationship to polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Non-smoking healthy male coke-oven workers (n = 30) were recruited as 'exposure' group, and non-smoking healthy office workers in the same city (n = 10) were selected as 'control' group, to test whether high inhalation exposure to PAHs can induce CYP1A2 activity in human livers. Significantly higher inhalation exposure of PAHs were found among the exposure group compared to the control. Inhalation BaP exposure concentration in the exposure group was more than 30 times higher than the control group (p < 0.001). However, the exposure group did not exhale significant higher levels of (13)CO2/(12)CO2 in breath samples (p = 0.81), and no significant relationship was found ...
Exposure to PM2.5 is a leading environmental risk factor for many diseases and premature deaths, ... more Exposure to PM2.5 is a leading environmental risk factor for many diseases and premature deaths, arousing growing public concerns. In this study, indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations were investigated during the heating and non-heating seasons in an urban area in northwest China. Personal inhalation exposure levels among different age groups were evaluated, and the difference attributable to different cooking fuels including coal, gas and electricity, was discussed. The average concentrations of PM2.5 in the kitchen and the bedroom were 125±51 and 119±64μg/m(3) during the heating season, and 80±67 and 80±50μg/m(3) during the non-heating season, respectively. Indoor PM2.5, from indoor combustion sources but also outdoor penetration, contributed to about 75% of the total PM2.5 exposure. Much higher indoor concentrations and inhalation exposure levels were found in households using coal for cooking compared to those using gas and electricity. Changing from coal to gas or electricity...
Widespread use of solid fuels affects indoor/outdoor air quality, human health, and climate chang... more Widespread use of solid fuels affects indoor/outdoor air quality, human health, and climate change significantly. Replacing traditional solid fuels with affordable cleaner fuels is a challenge for most developing countries. In this study, carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) emissions and financial costs of a potential cleaner fuel-pelletized biofuels were compared to those of traditional solid fuels, including coal, crop residue, and wood, and a conventional modern fuel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), in terms of fuel-mass-based emission factor (EF), delivered-energy-based emission factor (EF E ), and delivered-energy-based cost (C E ). The combustions of pelletized fuels and LPG had not only relatively higher thermal efficiencies but also lower EFs, leading to much lower EF E of these cleaner fuels. The adoption of pelletized fuels burned in a modern pellet burner could reduce pollutant emissions significantly in comparison to traditional solid fuels. When both EF E and C E are taken into consideration, it could be found that the nearly free ordinary biomass fuels and high-cost coals had much higher pollutant emissions, while LPG was the most expensive, although it would produce the lowest emission. Pelletized fuels appear to be a good alternative in rural households because of not only lower pollutant emissions but also relatively low cost. Future studies, including but not limited to emission measurements, potential reductions in air concentrations and health outcome, systematic cost−benefit analysis, and identification of key enablers and barriers affecting the large-scale uptake, are strongly recommended.
Residential solid fuels are widely consumed in rural China, contributing to severe household air ... more Residential solid fuels are widely consumed in rural China, contributing to severe household air pollution for many products of incomplete combustion, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their polar derivatives. In this study, concentrations of nitrated and oxygenated PAH derivatives (nPAHs and oPAHs) for household and personal air were measured and analyzed for influencing factors like smoking and cooking energy type. Concentrations of nPAHs and oPAHs in kitchens were higher than those in living rooms and in outdoor air. Exposure levels measured by personal samplers were lower than levels in indoor air, but higher than outdoor air levels. With increasing molecular weight, individual compounds tended to be more commonly partitioned to particulate matter (PM); moreover, higher molecular weight nPAHs and oPAHs were preferentially found in finer particles, suggesting a potential for increased health risks. Smoking behavior raised the concentrations of nPAHs and oPAHs in...
A previous study on PM 2.5 carbonaceous aerosols measured with the thermal optical reflectance (T... more A previous study on PM 2.5 carbonaceous aerosols measured with the thermal optical reflectance (TOR) method in fourteen Chinese cities is extended by subdividing total EC into char-EC and soot-EC. Average char-EC concentrations show great differences between the fourteen cities and between winter and summer periods, with concentrations of 8.67 and 2.41 mg m À3 in winter and summer, respectively.
Hundreds of millions of rural residents have migrated to cities in recent years in China. Differe... more Hundreds of millions of rural residents have migrated to cities in recent years in China. Different lifestyles and living conditions lead to substantial changes in their household energy. Here we present the result of a survey on direct household energy use of low skilled rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing. The migrants moved up the energy ladder immediately after arriving in the city by replacing biomass fuels with coal, electricity, and liquefied petroleum gas. After the original shift, pattern of household energy use by the migrants has not changed much over decades, likely due to the long-existing household registration system (Hukou). As a result, the mix of energy types used by the rural-to-urban migrants were different from those by long-term urban residents although total quantities were similar. Shifting from biomass fuels to coal, the migrants emitted 2.4 times more non-neutral CO2 than rural residents, and 14% more than urban residents. Meantime, the migration also result...
The concentration and composition of PAHs emitted from biomass cooking fuel were characterized in... more The concentration and composition of PAHs emitted from biomass cooking fuel were characterized in a rural non-smoking household in northern China. Twenty-two parent PAHs (pPAHs), 12 nitro-PAHs (nPAHs), and 4 oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in the kitchen, bedroom, and outdoors during both summer and winter. The most severe contamination occurred in the kitchen in the winter, where the daily mean concentrations of pPAHs, nPAHs, and oPAHs were 7500 ± 4100, 38 ± 29, and 8400 ± 9200 ng/m(3), respectively. Our results suggest that the nPAHs were largely from secondary formation in ambient air while oPAHs were either from primary emission of biomass burning or secondary formation from pPAHs in the kitchen. The daily mean benzo(a)pyrene equivalent exposure concentration was as high as 200 ± 160 ng/m(3) in the winter for the housewife who did the cooking compared to 59 ± 37 ng/m(3) for the control group that did not cook.
Optical properties of particulate matter are of growing concern due to their complex effects on a... more Optical properties of particulate matter are of growing concern due to their complex effects on atmospheric visibility and local/regional climate change. In this study, mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of elemental carbon (EC) was measured for source emission samples obtained from the residential combustions of solid fuels using a thermal-optical carbon analyzer. For source samples from residential wood, crop straw, biomass pellet and coal combustions, MAE of EC measured at 650 nm, were 3.1 (2.4-3.7 as 95% Confidence Interval), 6.6 (5.5-7.6), 9.5 (6.7-12), and 7.9 (4.8-11) m2 g-1, respectively. MAE of EC for source sample from the wood combustion was significantly lower than those for the other fuels, and MAE of EC for coal briquette appeared to be different from that of raw chunk. MAE values of the investigated source emission samples were found to correlate with OC/EC ratio, and a significantly positive correlation was found between MAE and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydro...
Residential solid fuel combustion is a major source of many pollutants, resulting in significant ... more Residential solid fuel combustion is a major source of many pollutants, resulting in significant impacts on air quality and human health. Improved stoves, especially some modern gasifier biomass models, are being deployed to alleviate household and ambient air pollution. Pollutant emissions from coal burning in improved metal stoves (n=11) and wood combustion in modern gasifier stoves (n=8) were measured in field in Hubei, China. The emissions of CO, TSP, OC, EC and PAHs from coal burning in the improved iron stoves were generally lower than previously reported results for coal in traditional stoves. For pollutants from wood combustion in the gasifier stoves, the emissions were less than literature-reported values for wood burned in traditional stoves, comparable to those in improved stoves, but appeared to be higher than those for pellets in gasifier stoves in laboratory tests. The limitations of scarce data and large variances result in statistical insignificance. Daily emissions ...
ABSTRACT Household fuel-use (HFU) patterns are strongly associated with multiple effects, includi... more ABSTRACT Household fuel-use (HFU) patterns are strongly associated with multiple effects, including air quality, human health, and regional climate change. This paper presents the results from the first Chinese Environmental Exposure-Related Human Activity Patterns Survey (CEERHAPS), carried out among 91,121 households located in 9108 villages, 636 towns, and 159 counties in 31 provinces. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with each participant to obtain information about the type of fuels used for cooking and heating. The main objectives of this paper were to investigate HFU for cooking and heating in China, to validate the World Health Organization (WHO) model, and to help inform local evaluation models. In China, gas and biomass fuels, the dominant energy fuels for cooking, are used by 44.8% and 32.1% of households, respectively. Approximately 34.1% of families have no household heating during the cold season, and 16.7%, 15.6% and 12.8% of households rely on coal, electricity, and biomass, respectively, for household heating when no central heating was available. The proportion of households using solid fuels has generally decreased during the last two decades. Considerable spatial variation was evident in the HFU patterns for both cooking and heating. The data revealed that the predominant fuel for cooking was biomass (47.6%) in rural populations, whereas urban households were more likely to cook with gas (65.8%). In terms of heating, coal (21.4%) and biomass (19.0%) were the main fuels used in rural households, while electricity (23.6%) and coal (10.5%) were more commonly used in urban areas. The overall HFU results for cooking from this study were comparable to those predicted using the WHO model. We also developed models at the provincial level to estimate HFU for cooking and heating in China; it is expected that the model, if confirmed by future studies, could be used for future research on household air pollution, domestic human exposure and burden of disease.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of pollutants of widespread concerns. Gaseous... more 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/m(3) for kitchen, 2590±2270 and 43±95 ng/m(3) for living room, and 2800±3890 and 1.6±0.7 ng/m(3) 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/m(3) . Considering energies, exposures to those usi...
ABSTRACT The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is one of the regions with the most dynamic economy and se... more ABSTRACT The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is one of the regions with the most dynamic economy and severe atmospheric pollution in China. In order to characterize the particle features, especially the carbonaceous component in the YRD, particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm (PM10) samples in each season were collected in urban Nanjing, a typical city that locates in the west part of the YRD. The organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) was differentiated using the thermal optical reflectance method. The average concentrations of PM2.5, OC and EC during the study periods were observed to be 117.6, 13.8, and 5.3 μg/m3 respectively, with all the highest levels in winter. The mass fraction of the Total carbonaceous aerosol (TCA) in PM2.5 was estimated at 23% on average, lower than those reported for other cities in the YRD. The OC and EC correlated well in all the seasons, especially in spring and winter, implying that OC and EC were attributed to common emission sources. Good correlation was observed between OC and estimated K+ from biomass burning in the harvest season in autumn and summer, indicating biomass burning a significant source of carbonaceous aerosols. This could also be confirmed by the lower fraction of OC3 + OC4 in OC during autumn and summer. The secondary organic carbon (SOC) estimated by EC-tracer method was the highest in winter (7.3 μg/m3) followed by autumn (6.7 μg/m3), summer (3.7 μg/m3) and spring (2.0 μg/m3). However, the SOC/OC in winter was not as high as that in summer and autumn, implying the high concentration of OC in winter was probably due to the stable weather but not mainly caused by SOC formation. The high SOC/OC ratio in summer was attributed to stronger oxidation, which could be suggested by higher sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR).
Atmospheric environment (Oxford, England : 1994), 2012
Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stag... more Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stage, there were limited studies on the emissions of various organic pollutants from the burning of those pellets. In addition to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) have been received increased concerns. In this study, emission factors of oPAHs (EFoPAHs) were measured for two types of pellets made from corn straw and pine wood, respectively. Two combustion modes with (mode II) and without (mode I) secondary side air supply in a modern pellet burner were investigated. For the purpose of comparison, EFoPAHs for raw fuels combusted in a traditional cooking stove were also measured. EFoPAHs were 348±305 and 396±387 µg/kg in the combustion mode II for pine wood and corn straw pellets, respectively. In mode I, measured EFoPAHs were 77.7±49.4 and 189±118 µg/kg, respectively. EFs in mode II were higher (2-5 times) than those in mode I mainly due to the decreased combus...
Environmental science and pollution research international, 2014
Smoked meat is widely consumed in many areas, particularly in rural southwest China. High concent... more Smoked meat is widely consumed in many areas, particularly in rural southwest China. High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked meat could lead to adverse dietary exposure and health risks. In this study, 27 parent PAHs (pPAHs), 12 nitrated PAHs (nPAHs), and 4 oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in coal- and wood-smoked meats. The median concentrations of pPAHs, nPAHs, and oPAHs were as high as 1.66 × 10(3), 4.29, and 20.5 ng/g in the coal-smoked meat and 2.54 × 10(3), 7.32, and 9.26 ng/g in the wood-smoked meat, respectively. Based on the relative potency factors of individual PAHs, the calculated toxic equivalent (TEQ) values of all pPAHs were 22.1 and 75.1 ng TEQ/g for the wood- and coal-smoked meats, respectively. The highest concentrations of PAHs can be found in the surface layer of skin and decrease exponentially with depth. Surface PAH concentrations correlated with concentrations of PAHs in household air and with the concentration in emission...
Twelve nitro-PAHs (nPAHs) and four oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in air samples for 12 months at... more Twelve nitro-PAHs (nPAHs) and four oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in air samples for 12 months at 18 sites in urban settings, rural villages, or rural fields in northern China. The nPAH concentrations were higher in urban areas (1.3 ± 1.3 ng/m(3)), and nPAH/parent PAH ratios were higher (suggesting important contributions from motor vehicles and secondary formation) in urban sites than in rural villages. oPAHs are primarily emitted from solid fuel combustion and motor vehicles, and similar oPAH concentrations were found in urban areas (23 ± 20 ng/m(3)) and rural villages (29 ± 24 ng/m(3)). The high numbers of motor vehicles in Beijing and intensive industrial activity in Taiyuan and Dezhou caused higher nPAH concentrations. No spatial trend in oPAH concentrations was found in the rural villages, because similar oPAH mixtures are emitted from solild fuel combustion. The nPAH and oPAH concentrations were higher in the winter, and correlated with residential energy consumption and prec...
There is wide concern about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) because of their carcinogenic... more There is wide concern about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) because of their carcinogenic and mutagenic potential. The coking industry is an important source of PAHs. In this study, 36 arable soil samples, a sensitive medium from the perspective of food safety and health, were collected from one of the largest coke production bases in China. The concentration of total 21 PAHs ranged from 294 to 1665ngg(-1), with a mean of 822±355ngg(-1). Approximately 60% of the soil samples were heavily polluted with the level higher than 600ngg(-1). Particularly high abundances of high molecular weight PAHs were found, and the calculated BaPeq was as high as 54.3ngg(-1). Soil PAH levels were positively correlated with soil organic matter content. The soil PAHs were from complex mixture sources, and high-temperature pyrogenic sources were most likely responsible for the heavy PAH contamination. Effective control strategies and probable remediation approaches should be proposed to improve so...
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