Substantial reductions in ambient PAHs pollution and lives saved as a co-benefit of effective long-term PM2.5 pollution controls

Shaofei Kong; Qin Yan; Huang Zheng; Haibiao Liu; Wei Wang; Shurui Zheng; Guowei Yang; Mingming Zheng; Jian Wu; Shihua Qi; Guofeng Shen; Lili Tang; Yan Yin; Tianliang Zhao; Huan Yu; Dantong Liu; Delong Zhao; Tao Zhang; Jujun Ruan; Mingzhi Huang

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.002

Substantial reductions in ambient PAHs pollution and lives saved as a co-benefit of effective long-term PM_2.5 pollution controls

Environ Int. 2018 May:114:266-279. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.002. Epub 2018 Mar 7.

Authors

Shaofei Kong¹, Qin Yan², Huang Zheng³, Haibiao Liu², Wei Wang², Shurui Zheng³, Guowei Yang³, Mingming Zheng³, Jian Wu³, Shihua Qi⁴, Guofeng Shen⁵, Lili Tang⁶, Yan Yin⁷, Tianliang Zhao⁷, Huan Yu⁸, Dantong Liu⁹, Delong Zhao¹⁰, Tao Zhang¹¹, Jujun Ruan¹¹, Mingzhi Huang¹²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Atmospheric Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
² College of Atmospheric Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
³ Department of Atmospheric Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
⁵ College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Jiangsu Environmental Monitoring Center, Nanjing 210036, China.
⁷ Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; College of Atmospheric Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
⁸ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
⁹ School of Earth, Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, UK.
¹⁰ Beijing Weather Modification Office, Beijing 100089, China.
¹¹ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
¹² Environmental Research Institute, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.

PMID: 29524922
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.002

Abstract

Under great efforts in fighting against serious haze problem of China since 2013, decreasing of air pollutants especially for fine particles (PM_2.5) has been revealed for several key regions. This study tried to answer whether the reduction of PM_2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was coincident with PM_2.5 because of long-term pollution control measures (PCM), and to assess source-oriented health risks associated with inhalation exposure to PAHs. Field measurements were carried out before and after the publishing of local air pollution protection plan for Nanjing, a mega-city in east China. Results indicated that the air quality was substantially improving, with a significant reduction in annual average PM_2.5 by 34%, and moreover, PM_2.5-bound PAHs significantly reduced by 63% (p < 0.001). The remarkable reduction was mainly attributable to the change of emission sources, compared to the influence of atmospheric circulation patterns, surface meteorological conditions, and atmospheric chemical reaction. Four PAHs sources including coal combustion (CC), petroleum and oil burning (PO), wood burning (WB) and vehicle emission (VE) were identified. On an annual basis, contributions to ambient PM_2.5-PAHs from WB, PO, CC and VE sources in the period before the action of control measures were 2.26, 2.20, 1.96 and 5.62 ng m^-3, respectively. They reduced to 1.09, 0.37, 1.31 and 1.77 ng m^-3 for the four source types, with the reduction percentages as 51, 83, 33 and 68%, respectively. The estimated reduction in lifetime lung cancer risk was around 61%. The study that firstly assessed the health effects of PAHs reduction as a co-benefit raised by air PCM sustained for a long period is believed to be applicable and referential for other mega-cities around the world for assessing the benefits of PCM.

Keywords: Air pollution control; Exposure risk assessment; PM(2.5)-bound PAHs; Source apportionment; Source-oriented risk allocation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / analysis
Air Pollution / prevention & control*
Air Pollution / statistics & numerical data*
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Lung Neoplasms / epidemiology
Middle Aged
Particulate Matter / analysis
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis*
Risk Reduction Behavior*

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons