Benzo[a]pyrene in the Ambient Air in the Czech Republic: Emission Sources, Current and Long-Term Monitoring Analysis and Human Exposure

Markéta Schreiberová,Ondřej Vlček,Jana Šmejdířová,Johannes Bieser,Leona Vlasáková,Jan Horálek

doi:10.3390/atmos11090955

Markéta Schreiberová, Ondřej Vlček + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090955

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Abstract

This paper provides a detailed, thorough analysis of air pollution by benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the Czech Republic. The Czech residential sector is responsible for more than 98.8% of BaP, based on the national emission inventory. According to the data from 48 sites of the National Air Quality Monitoring Network, the range of annual average concentration of BaP ranges from 0.4 ng·m−3 at a rural regional station to 7.7 ng·m−3 at an industrial station. Additionally, short-term campaign measurements in small settlements have recorded high values of daily benzo[a]pyrene concentrations (0.1–13.6 ng·m−3) in winter months linked to local heating of household heating. The transboundary contribution to the annual average concentrations of BaP was estimated by the CAMx model to range from 46% to 70% over most of the country. However, the contribution of Czech sources can exceed 80% in residential heating hot spots. It is likely that the transboundary contribution to BaP concentrations was overestimated by a factor of 1.5 due to limitations of the modeling approach used. During the period of 2012–2018, 35–58% of the urban population in the Czech Republic were exposed to BaP concentrations above target. A significant decreasing trend, estimated by the Mann-Kendall test, was found for annual and winter BaP concentrations between 2008 and 2018.

Highlights

IntroductionPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitously distributed in the environment [1]
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitously distributed in the environment [1].They are common by-products of combustion processes of fossil fuels and wood
In 2018, the residential sector accounted for more than 98.8% of total Czech BaP emissions (15.56 t out of total 15.74 t)

Summary

Introduction

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitously distributed in the environment [1]. They are common by-products of combustion processes of fossil fuels and wood. PAHs represent a group of substances, many of which have toxic teratogenic, mutagenic or carcinogenic properties [2,3]. Probably has negative effects on the cognitive development of young children [4] Due to their physical and chemical properties, all these substances can be transported over long distances and deposited in remote areas [5,6,7]. PAHs can bioaccumulate, enter the food chain [1] and be toxic to the environment

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