Abstract
The incidence and mortality rate of lung cancer is the highest in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, China. The mechanisms of the high lung incidence remain unclear, necessitating further study. However, the particle size distribution characteristics of HULIS emitted from residential coal combustion (RCC) have not been studied in Xuanwei. In this study, six kinds of residential coal were collected. Size-resolved particles emitted from the coal were sampled by using a burning system, which was simulated according to RCC made in our laboratory. Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble inorganic ion, water-soluble potentially toxic metals (WSPTMs), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and HULIS-C (referred to as HULIS containing carbon contents) in the different size-segregated particulate matter (PM) samples were determined for health risk assessments by inhalation of PM. In our study, the ratio of HULIS-Cx to WSOCx values in RCC particles were 32.73–63.76% (average 53.85 ± 12.12%) for PM2.0 and 33.91–82.67% (average 57.06 ± 17.32%) for PM2.0~7.0, respectively. The carcinogenic risks of WSPTMs for both children and adults exceeded the acceptable level (1 × 10−6, indicating that we should pay more attention to these WSPTMs). Exploring the HULIS content and particle size distribution of the particulate matter produced by household coal combustion provides a new perspective and evidence for revealing the high incidence of lung cancer in Xuanwei, China.
Highlights
Atmospheric particulate matter has received more attention as air pollution has caused about seven million premature deaths every year
The particulate matters emitted from residential coal combustion (RCC) were mainly distributed in the size range of
0.43–2.1 μm, which accounted for 39.2–62.8% of total particulate matter, indicating that the fine particulate matters emitted from RCC in the Xuanwei area are higher than other areas of China
Summary
Atmospheric particulate matter has received more attention as air pollution has caused about seven million premature deaths every year. Fine particles (PM2.0 or smaller) are generally more dangerous and ultrafine particles (one micron in diameter or less), which can penetrate tissues and organs, pose a greater risk of stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory Solid fuels are still the main energy source for cooking and heating in some rural areas of China. In 2019, about 2.7 billion tons of coal were consumed in China, which contributed about 68.6% of the national primary energy source RCC are important anthropogenic sources of particulate and toxic and hazardous pollutants in the atmosphere [1]. Oxidative stress in the airways and alveoli leads to stimulation of alveolar macrophages and injury to the epithelial lining, which in turn attracts inflammatory cells from the circulation [2]. This mechanism is considered to be related to highly redox-active
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