Probing the occurrence, sources and cancer risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in PM2.5 in a humid metropolitan city in China

Abstract

Fifty-two consecutive PM_2.5 samples from December 2021 to February 2022 (the whole winter) were collected in the center of Chongqing, a humid metropolitan city in China. These samples were analysed for the 16 USEPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 PAHs) to explore their composition and sources, and to assess their cancer risks to humans. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs (ng m⁻³) ranged from 16.45 to 174.15, with an average of 59.35 ± 21.45. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) indicated that traffic emissions were the major source (42.4%), followed by coal combustion/industrial emission (31.3%) and petroleum leakage/evaporation (26.3%). The contribution from traffic emission to the 16 PAHs increased from 40.0% in the non-episode days to as high as 46.2% in the air quality episode during the sampling period. The population attributable fraction (PAF) indicates that when the unit relative risk (URR) is 4.49, the number of lung cancer cases per million individuals under PAH exposure is 27 for adults and 38 for seniors, respectively. It was 5 for adults and 7 for seniors, when the URR is 1.3. The average incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for children, adolescents, adults and seniors was 0.25 × 10⁻⁶, 0.23 × 10⁻⁶, 0.71 × 10⁻⁶, and 1.26 × 10⁻⁶, respectively. The results of these two models complemented each other well, and both implied acceptable PAH exposure levels. Individual genetic susceptibility and exposure time were identified as the most sensitive parameters. The selection and use of parameters in risk assessment should be further deepened in subsequent studies to enhance the reliability of the assessment results.