Health Risk Assessment Method Research Articles

An assessment of O3-related health risks and economic losses in typical regions of China.

As one of the key areas for air pollution prevention and control in China, the Fenwei Plain is experiencing serious near-surface O3 pollution, which is a key issue that needs to be solved urgently. Based on pollutant concentration monitoring data and meteorological and health data over the same period, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics, the relationships with meteorological factors of O3 pollution, and the health effects and economic losses caused by exposure to O3 pollution using environmental health risk and environmental value assessment methods in 11 cities on the Fenwei Plain in China from 2014 to 2020. The results showed that O3 pollution has become increasingly serious on the Fenwei Plain in recent years. The annual average concentration of O3_8h_max showed an overall upwards trend, with an increase of 32.39% in 2020 compared to 2014. The mean concentrations observed in summer were the highest, followed by spring and autumn, and the lowest was in winter. The O3 concentration had a significant positive correlation with air temperature and sunshine hours. The evaluation results of the impact of air pollution on population health showed that the number of premature deaths caused by O3 pollution fluctuated and increased during 2014-2020. In 2020, the numbers of total, cardiovascular and respiratory deaths attributable to O3 pollution on the Fenwei Plain were 6,867 (95% CI: 3,739-9,965), 3,652 (95% CI: 1,363-5,905), and 1,257 (95% CI: 747-2,365), respectively, and the total number of premature deaths related to O3 exposure increased by 48.05% compared with 2014. The health and economic losses attributed to O3 pollution on the Fenwei Plain during the study period were 44.22 (95% CI: 22.17-69.18), 47.16 (95% CI: 23.64-73.77), 68.28 (95% CI: 34.27-106.31), 114.44 (95% CI: 57.42-177.76), 110.85 (95% CI: 55.45-172.52), 116.41 (95% CI: 58.24-180.74), and 116.81 (95% CI: 58.00-180.88) billion yuan, respectively. In Linfen City, the increasing rate of the number of premature deaths reached 283.39% because the O3 concentration increased greatly. Due to high O3 concentrations and obvious population growth in Xi'an, the problems of premature death and health and economic losses attributed to O3 concentrations exceeding the standard value are prominent.

Comparative Study of Two Pesticide-Associated Health Risk Assessment Methods: Questionnaire and Blood Cholinesterase Level Examination

Comparative Study of Two Pesticide-Associated Health Risk Assessment Methods: Questionnaire and Blood Cholinesterase Level Examination

Heavy metals distribution characteristics, source analysis, and risk evaluation of soils around mines, quarries, and other special areas in a region of northwestern Yunnan, China

In this study, based on the assessment of soil heavy metals (HMs) pollution using relevant indices, a comprehensive approach combined network environ analysis (NEA), human health risk assessment (HHRA) method and positive definite matrix factor (PMF) model to quantify the risks among ecological communities in a special environment around mining area in northwest Yunnan, calculated the risk to human health caused by HMs in soil, and analyzed the pollution sources of HMs. The integrated risks for soil microorganisms, vegetations, herbivores, and carnivores were 2.336, 0.876, 0.114, and 0.082, respectively, indicating that soil microorganisms were the largest risk receptors. The total hazard indexes (HIT) for males, females, and children were 0.542, 0.591, and 1.970, respectively, revealing a relatively high and non-negligible non-carcinogenic risks (NCR) for children. The total cancer risks (TCR) for both females and children exceeded 1.00E-04, indicating that soil HMs posed carcinogenic risks (CR) to them. Comparatively, Pb was the high-risk metal, accounting for 53.76%, 57.90%, and 68.09% of HIT in males, females, and children, respectively. PMF analysis yielded five sources of pollution, F1 (industry), F2 (agriculture), F3 (domesticity), F4 (nature), and F5 (traffic).

EVALUATION OF CHROMIUM EXPOSURE IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN AROUND MAROS KARST IN INDONESIA

Chromium is a potentially toxic metal due to several acute and chronic effects on human. Chromium can accumulate in the soil and water as the result of weathering processes, industrial emissions, tanneries, and inorganic fertilizers. This study aimed to evaluate the potential threat from Cr exposure in adults and children of the community around Maros karst, Indonesia. The level of Cr was investigated on twenty soils and sixteen well water using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The integrated health risk assessment method from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Monte Carlo simulation approach with 10,000 iterations were applied to assess non-cancer and cancer risk through combined pathways, ingestion and skin contact. The non-cancer risk with 95% confidence demonstrated that Cr exposure in adults and children was below the permissible limit (THI<1). The final prediction using human health risk assessment showed that the non-cancer risk for both receptors was considered acceptable. However, the total cancer risk (TCR) values exceeded the acceptable risk value of USEPA in children (2.33 x 10-4 ) and adults (2.18 x 10-4 ), indicating children have a greater risk for developing cancer than adults. Ingestion rate (IR) (26.0%) and Cr concentration in soil (26.4%) were the most important variables in determining cancer risk for adults and children, respectively. The findings could be valuable for managing well water consumption and soil remediation in residential areas.

Herbicides in Water Sources: Communicating Potential Risks to the Population of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa.

Pesticides are an important tool for maintaining and improving the global population's standard of living. However, their presence in water resources is concerning due to their potential consequences. Twelve water samples from rivers, dams/reservoirs, and treated drinking water were collected from Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa. The collected samples were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography linked to a QTRAP hybrid triple quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. The ecological and human health risks were assessed by risk quotient and human health risk assessment methods, respectively. Herbicides, such as atrazine, metolachlor, simazine and terbuthylazine, were analysed in water sources. The average concentrations of simazine in rivers (1.82 mg/L), dams/reservoirs (0.12 mg/L), and treated drinking water (0.03 mg/L) were remarkable among all four herbicides detected. Simazine, atrazine, and terbuthylazine posed high ecological risks for both acute and chronic toxicity in all water sources. Moreover, simazine is the only contaminant in the river water that poses a medium carcinogenic risk to adult. It can be concluded that the level of herbicide detected in water sources may affect aquatic life and human beings negatively. This study may aid in the development of pesticide pollution management and risk reduction strategies within the municipality.

Assessment of air quality and community health risks in Di An city - Binh Duong province

Based on research methods such as data collection and processing, air quality index calculation methods, and public health risk assessment methods to assess air quality and effects of substances on the health of people in Di An city. The data for the calculation are inherited from the environmental monitoring report of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Di An City in the period of 2019. The calculation results show that the air quality in the city is. Di An is fluctuating at an average-poor level (especially in the Cay Lon junction area with the highest index of 150), the health risk assessment results show that when exposed to dust, the total group of people Adults (Women and Men) had a high fluctuating cancer risk index with the highest index of 2 subjects being in the first quarter 0.310, 0.295, in the second quarter 0.269, 0.282, in the third quarter 0.296, 0.282, Fourth quarter 0.289, 0.275. As for other indicators, the subjects assessed when exposed to substances in the air environment in Di An city can be affected their health, of which the group of adults is still the group of people. Women and men) are the most affected group.

Health risk assessment of PM2.5 and PM10 in KST BJ Habibie, South Tangerang, Indonesia

The BJ Habibie Science and Technology Area (KST BJ Habibie) Serpong is an office and laboratory area close to industrial, agricultural, and livestock, with a relatively high level of transportation activity. This condition certainly has the potential to increase the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10, which has an impact on health risks if inhaled by humans. This study aimed to analyze the risk characteristics of PM2.5 and PM10 as the basis for recommendations for managing health risks for security employees at KST BJ Habibie. The research used the Environmental Health Risk Assessment (EHRA) method, which included hazard identification, dose-response assessment, PM2.5 and PM10 exposure assessment to 34 security officers, and risk characteristics expressed as RQ. The analysis results stated that the real-time and lifetime RQ PM2.5 and PM10 values for all security officers were below 1 (RQ<1). The average real-time and lifetime RQ PM2.5 were 0.13 and 0.52, respectively. Meanwhile, the average real-time and lifetime RQ PM10 were 0.11 and 0.48, respectively.

Operational Risk Identification and Mitigation of the Chemical Production Process of PT. X Using Failure-Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) Methods

PT. X is a German-based multinational chemical company that produces surfactant as one of its products. As a chemical processing company, the operational activities of the production process in PT. X poses risks that could happen at any time. This research is conducted to identify, analyze, and propose mitigation plan for the risks in one of the plants operated by PT. X. Interviews are conducted to identify the risks using Fishbone diagram as the framework and the Ishikawa method to categorize the causes. There are 86 risks that are identified consisting of 51 operational risks and 35 risks of chemical exposure. To be more thorough, the identified operational risks are assessed using the Failure-Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) and the chemical exposure risks are assessed using the Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA). From the 206 risk causes, 31% are caused by Man, 28% are caused by Machine, 22% are caused by Material, 15% are caused by Method, and 5% are caused by the Environment. The FMEA produces Risk Priority Number (RPN) which led to risk prioritizing using the Pareto diagram and risk mapping, resulting in 24 risks being prioritized that consists of 15 medium-level risks and 9 low-level risks with no high-level risk present. The CHRA produces Risk Rating (RR) and Level of Risk that resulted in 77 low-level and 19 moderate-level risks for risk for inhalation exposure, and 9 moderate-level risks and 86 high-level risks for the exposure through dermal contact. It produces the decision of 17 inadequate control measures for chemical exposures. These assessments are further processed to devise the appropriate contingency plan, mitigation plan, and action plan.

Ecological Risk and Migration Patterns of Heavy Metals in Soil and Crops in the Lead-Zinc Mining Area in Guizhou, China

An accumulation of heavy metals in soil poses a risk to the ecological environment and human health. In this study, the concentrations of heavy metals in soil and crops were examined in a lead-zinc mining area in Guizhou Province, China. The distribution and sources of heavy metals were analyzed using GIS spatial mapping. The potential ecological risks of heavy metals were assessed using the potential ecological risk index (RI), and the human health risk assessment method recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was used to quantify the health risk of residents exposed to heavy metals in the soil around lead-zinc mines. According to the results, the average of concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soil were 58, 7.9, 175, 64, 0.461, 65, 1539, and 2513 mg·kg-1, respectively, which were significantly higher than the background values in Guizhou Province. It was found that the As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn concentrations were extremely irregular in the soil and that the concentrations decreased significantly with the distance to the smelters, which were greatly disturbed by human activities. Comprehensive evaluation of soil heavy metals using the potential ecological risk index revealed that the risks of soil heavy metals were pole-strength and strong levels, and Cd constituted the primary ecological risk factor. A total of 22% and 10% of the corn samples contained Pb and As above the heavy metal pollution thresholds in the national food safety standards. According to human health risk assessments, heavy metals in the soil present potential non-carcinogenic risks to adults or children, and pose a potential carcinogenic risk to children. Soil pH was an important controlling factor affecting the bioavailability, migration, and accumulation of Cd in soil-crop systems. This study provides data and theoretical support for the prevention and control of soil pollution in lead-zine mining areas.

Spatial-temporal variability and probabilistic health risk assessment of fluoride from lentic ecosystem, Türkiye

ABSTRACT Thrace Region is a part of the Marmara Region of Türkiye. There are many natural and artificial stagnant water habitats in the region that are used for irrigation and drinking water supply. This study is intended to determine the spatial-temporal variability and probabilistic health risk of fluoride exposure in the water of stagnant water bodies in the Thrace region. A total of 33 stagnant water bodies were selected, and water samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons of 2021–2022. The fluoride levels were measured using a spectrophotometric method (wavelength is 588 nm). The fluoride accumulations varied from 0.16–0.64 mg/L for the natural lakes, 0.04–0.74 mg/L for the reservoirs, and 0.01–0.53 mg/L for the artificial ponds. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggested a level of fluoride in drinking water of 0.5 to 1.5 mg/L. The study area had a fluoride deficiency of less than 0.5 mg/L in natural water bodies during the wet season (87.87%) and the dry season (93.93%), which might be a potential threat to dental health. Estimation Daily Intake (EDI) and Hazard Quotient (HQ) widely used health risk assessment methods were applied to the data in the current research to describe the non-carcinogenic risk of fluoride. All the calculated hazard quotient (HQ) values, both in the dry and wet seasons and in all age groups, were recorded as below 1. Both teenagers and children living in the central part of the study area are at higher risk than infants and adults. To evaluate model uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulations were employed. The outcome of the sensitivity analysis revealed that the major risks to the health of the inhabitants are the high content of fluoride and their daily intake of water.

Prediction of non-carcinogenic health risk using Hybrid Monte Carlo-machine learning approach

Groundwater contamination caused by elevated nitrate levels and its associated health effects is a serious global concern. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed a method for assessing potential human health risks from groundwater contamination that involves extensive groundwater sampling and analysis. However, this approach can be labor intensive and stand as a constraint to the robustness of the traditional approach. Here in machine learning (ML) could be alternative approaches to bridging the contemporary challenges. Machine learning models (ML) such as deep neural networks (DNN), gradient boosting machines (GBM), random forests (RF) and generalized linear models (GLM) can provide alternative solutions to overcome these limitations. In this study, the effectiveness of Hybrid Monte Carlo Machine Learning (MC-ML) models was evaluated by predicting health risks using hazard quotients. A total of 32 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for nitrate and physical properties during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons. The results showed that the groundwater was severely contaminated by elevated nitrate concentrations, leading to high hazard quotient values. The prediction model results and validation using error and performance metrics showed that the Hybrid MC-DNN model outperformed the other models in both the training and testing phases. These results suggest that this surrogate approach could be a promising alternative to traditional health risk assessment methods.

Quantitative ultrasound for preterm birth risk prediction—Part 2: Clinical consequences and impact

Globally, ∼15 million babies are born preterm every year. In the United States, the preterm birth rate remains stubbornly high (10–15%) and refractory to interventions. Consequences of preterm birth (PTB) account for the second leading cause of infant mortality, with 1 million deaths annually. While the costs of PTB to society are more than for any other disease, the impact on families is devastating. Preterm babies suffer both immediate and lifelong physiological, cognitive, and developmental health problems. It is estimated that with the proper tools and technology, we could reduce the preterm birth and survival rates. Due to lack of technology, clinicians have had few interventions that have been rigorously studied to prevent preterm birth. Ineffective interventions have historically been based on opinion and patient symptoms rather than tissue based reliable and repeatable scientific studies. Our group has rigorously studied quantitative ultrasound’s (QUS’s) role for assessing PTB risk in animals and humans. QUS provided added value to currently available health and traditional ultrasound risk assessment methods. Basing clinical decision-making on tissue microstructure has the potential to reduce the PTB rate and provides a scientific basis for developing and objectively evaluating present and new treatments to prevent PTB. [Work supported by NIHR01HD089935.]

CHEMICAL HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE METALLURGY DEPARTMENT OF A MINING COMPANY, INDONESIA : A CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT Background: Miners are routinely exposed to various hazardous chemicals entering the body through inhalation, dermal, and ingestion. Although, likely, the long-term health impacts of certain chemicals will only become evident in years to come, the utilization of hazardous chemicals will continue to increase in the coming years, leading to a higher disease burden. Therefore, effective controls for the sound management of chemicals at the workplace shall be implemented. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the chemicals used and analyze the health risks related to the use of the chemicals in the flotation process. Methods: This study was a descriptive case study conducted in Indonesia's gold and copper mining company. We ran the assessment using the Chemical Health Risk Assessment method published by the Department of Safety and Health, Malaysia, Year 2018. The chemicals analyzed were limited to the reagents used in the flotation process in the metallurgy department, which have two possible exposure, inhalation, and dermal routes. Results: The results show three out of seven chemicals have the potential to expose workers through inhalation, which is categorized under medium risk, where xanthate has the highest risk rating (RR=12), which potentially causes health effects related to acute toxicity, specific target organs, and reproductive toxicity. Meanwhile, five out of seven chemicals have the potential to expose workers through dermal, where three chemicals fell into the high-risk category: promoter, frother, and lime (H2), and two chemicals fell into the moderate-risk category: xanthate and solutrix (M2). Adverse health effects from chemical exposures to dermal include irritation, corrosion, and sensitization. Conclusion: The reagents used in the flotation plant exhibited a significant health risk of inhalation and dermal contact with hazardous chemical exposure. The company shall evaluate the hazard and risk from the hazardous chemicals used in the flotation plant and implement adequate controls, considering elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls to minimize the workers' inhalation and dermal exposure.

Groundwater non-carcinogenic health risk comprehensive assessment based on DLAFVRT model in an island city

The long-term leakage of surface contaminants can severely affect the quality of shallow groundwater, thereby significantly affecting human health. This paper analyzed the spatial variations in groundwater non-carcinogenic health risk on the west coast of the Wailingding Island. A novel method for groundwater health risk assessment combining Modflow, remote sensing, and geographic information system (GIS) data was proposed. The DLAFVRT model, which included seven indicators: Groundwater depth (D), Land-use type (L), Aquifer medium (A), Fracture (F), Vegetation coverage (V), Net recharge (R) and Terrain slope (T), and potential non-carcinogenic health risk were based on the groundwater flow field and pollutant transport model constructed by Modflow and MT3DMS. The analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the weight of each index and optimize the model. Finally, the two evaluation results were superimposed to obtain a comprehensive evaluation of the groundwater health risk. The health risk zoning map showed that in the study area, the heavy-risk area accounted for 16.83%, high-risk area accounted for 26.45%, medium-risk area accounted for 42.25%, and low-risk area accounted for 14.47%. Moreover, approximately half of the areas were rated as high-risk or above, indicating that groundwater is susceptible to surface pollutants. Based on the groundwater numerical simulations, the multi-index groundwater health risk comprehensive evaluation system developed by combining groundwater vulnerability and human health risk provides a theoretical reference basis for the scientific management and rational allocation of groundwater resources.

Evaluation of heavy metal contamination of soil and the health risks in four potato-producing areas

Areas polluted by heavy metals in soil may pose a major risk to human health and ecological environment safety. In this study, 89 soil samples were collected from four potato producing areas (Libo, Chishui, Panxian and Weining) in Guizhou Province, China, and the concentrations of 9 soil heavy metals were analyzed and measured. The aims of this study was to evaluate the human health risk and pollution index of heavy metals in the soil of some potato-producing areas in Guizhou Province by using the geoaccumulation index method, pollution load index method and health risk assessment method. The results revealed that Igeo&amp;lt;0 in Libo and Chishui, Igeo&amp;gt;0 in Panxian except Pb, The Igeo of As and Sb were less than 0 in Weining, and other elements were polluted to varying degrees. The pollution load index is Panxian (1.47) &amp;gt; Weining (1.39) &amp;gt; Libo (0.67), Chishui (0.67), Libo and Chishui were generally no polluted, soils in Panxian and Weining were polluted. The health risks of potatoes through food ingestion are less than 1. In terms of carcinogenesis, the risk of human in each study area through the ingestion was Cr &amp;gt; As &amp;gt; Cd. Cr and As would be produced certain carcinogenic risk to human through the dermal contact. Cr had a strong carcinogenic risk to adults through the inhalation. In terms of non-carcinogenesis, children in each study area had a strong risk under the each pathways. The risk of carcinogenesis in adults through inhalation pathway is greater than that in children, and the risk of carcinogenesis and non-carcinogenesis in children through Ingestion and dermal contact pathway is greater than adults. The results of this study suggest that attention should be paid to the remediation of heavy metals in contaminated soil to protect human health.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Ozone Concentration and Population Health Benefit Assessment in the Yangtze River Delta Region from 2017 to 2020

In recent years, the ozone (O3) concentration has showed a rising trend in China, becoming second only to PM2.5 as an important factor affecting air quality. To grasp the spatial-temporal variations characteristics of O3 and the associated health impacts during the implementation of the three-year plan on defending the blue sky in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, data collected from 210 monitoring stations in the YRD from 2017 to 2020 were analyzed using the global Moran's index and Getis-Ord Gi* index methods, and the associated health benefits of reduced O3 exposure were evaluated using the health risk and environmental value assessment methods. The results showed that during the study period, the interquartile range (IQR) of the annual average O3 concentration and that of the warm season both presented a declining trend. The average O3 concentrations in both warm and cold seasons showed a similar spatial distribution pattern, with the northern part exhibiting the higher concentrations and the southern part showing the lower concentrations. Furthermore, the O3 concentrations in the warm season were characterized by high O3 concentrations clustering in the northern and central part of the region. The proportion of the population exposure to annual average O3 concentration over 160 μg·m-3 decreased from 72.3% in 2017 to 34.8% in 2020 in the YRD. Although the population-weighted annual mean O3 concentration in the whole YRD region showed a downward trend, some cities in western Anhui province, northern Jiangsu province, and central Jiangsu province showed fluctuations and even an increasing trend. In terms of health benefits, there were 3782 cases (95% CI:2050-5511 cases) of avoided premature deaths associated with reduced O3 concentrations in the warm season in 2020 compared to 2017. The total health benefit was 26198 million yuan (95% CI:14201-38175 million yuan). Compared to the cost of the main O3 precursor emission reduction, the cost-benefits ratio was 1:1.67 to 3.23.

Water pollution indexing and health risk assessment due to PTE ingestion and dermal absorption for nine human populations in Southeast Nigeria

Traditional human health risk assessment (HHRA) methods are now being replaced with advanced codes. In the present study, HERisk code and water pollution index (WPI) were employed for HHRA and water quality characterization of Umunya, a suburban in Nigeria. This study stands out from previous HHRAs performed in the region by applying the novel HERisk code, which evaluates health risk for nine human populations. The goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive report that will enlighten inhabitants and policymakers on the potential dermal and oral risks associated with the use of metal-contaminated water resources, for various age brackets, in the region. Standard methods were employed. With respect to measured physicochemical parameters, the WPI revealed that 66.7% of the water resources were unsuitable for human use. Based on the HERisk code, potentially toxic elements (PTEs) increased cancer risks in the following order: Ni > Pb > Cr. Total non-carcinogenic risks of drinking the water was found to be moderate. However, the cumulative risks due to dermal absorption of the contaminated water were negligible. The overall trend observed from the HHRA showed that older human populations in the area are less susceptible than younger populations. Nevertheless, it was detected that humans between ages 21 and 65 were less vulnerable than those older than 65 years. The findings of the HERisk code and WPI had a strong agreement, as water samples deemed less fit for human use by the WPI proved to have more health concerns. The WPI and HERisk code indicated that the most influential PTEs in the water were Pb and Ni, respectively. Thus, both PTEs expose water users to a higher risk of developing cancer via water ingestion.

Accumulation Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil-Crop System Based on Soil Parent Material Zoning

This study used both the element occurrence form analysis and the chronic health risk assessment method to investigate the accumulation characteristics of heavy metals in the soil-crop system and the health risk assessment of agricultural products in northeastern Yunnan, which is a typical area of Southwest China where heavy metals are enriched in soil. Based on the study of 1137 groups of agricultural products and corresponding root soils, the results showed that the soil cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in the lead-zinc ore concentration area were higher than the risk-intervention values of the "Soil Environmental Quality Risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land" (GB 15618-2018), whereas the soil Cd in the other parent material areas was within the screening-intervention buffer zone, and Pb was below the minimum risk-screening value. According to the National Food Safety Standard of China (GB 2762-2017), the heavy metal Cd in potatoes and soybeans in the area seriously exceeded the standard, the heavy metal Pb in tartary buckwheat and walnut exceeded the limit value, and the exceeding rate of heavy metal Cd in crops from these parent material areas showed: clastic rock>basalt>lead-zinc ore>carbonate ≈ Quaternary sedimentary>sand (mud) rock. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's assessment method for the chronic health risk of heavy metal intake by humans, the grains and potatoes, staple foods, and fruits had low chronic health risks of heavy metal intake. Agricultural products from the parent material area of clastic rock, sand (mud) rock, Quaternary sedimentary, and lead-zinc ore concentration showed health risks; with the change in soil physical and chemical properties and the increase in the types of edible crops, the risk will gradually increase. Based on this research, it is urgent to carry out real-time monitoring of agricultural products in the area.

Transmission characteristics, source apportionment and health risk assessment of PM2.5 in a typical industrial city in Northwest China

To study the source of PM2.5 in Jiayuguan and the effects of heavy metals on human health, from December 2019 to November 2020, 3 sampling points were set up in a background area, commercial area and industrial area in Jiayuguan to collect PM2.5 samples and measure the concentrations of 16 heavy metals. Based on the Meteoinfo and positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, the potential source areas and sources of PM2.5 were determined, and the health risks of heavy metals in PM2.5 to different groups were determined by the EPA health risk assessment method. The results showed that PM2.5 pollution in winter and spring was relatively serious, and the heavy metals with higher concentrations in PM2.5 were Mg, Al, Ca, and Fe. The strong potential source areas were mainly located in the Badain Jaran Desert, Qaidam Basin, Lop Nur area, Hexi Corridor area, and the northern Taklimakan Desert. The sources of heavy metals in PM2.5 included coal combustion, soil dust, cement dust, traffic sources, and industrial sources. The results of the health risk assessment indicated that the heavy metals in local PM2.5 had no significant carcinogenic or noncarcinogenic risks, but the health risks of Cr and Mn should still be considered.

Evaluation of strategies for the occupational health risk assessment of chemical toxicants in the workplace based on a quantitative analysis model.

The commonly used methods for the occupational health risk assessment (OHRA) of chemical toxicants cannot fully meet the needs of practical work. This study evaluated OHRA strategies for chemical toxicants in the workplace by establishing a quantitative analysis model. Five typical industries in China that implement OHRA using the six common models (the Environmental Protection Agency, Australian, Romanian, Singaporean, International Council on Mining and Metals, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health models) were selected as the research objects. We established a quantitative analysis model to compare the six models and applied it to compare the results obtained using each model and preliminarily analyze the advantages, limitations, and application scope of each method. The risk ratio (RR) values of the six methods decreased in the following order: RREPA > RRCOSHH > RRICMM > RRAustralia > RRSingaporean > RRRomanian (P < 0.05). Among the six models, the Singaporean model had the strongest RR correlation with the other models (P < 0.01). The sequence of RRs obtained from the Singaporean, ICMM, Australian, and Romanian models in the five industries was consistent with the sequence of the three inherent risk levels in those industries. Only the Romanian model could distinguish between the RRs of all five industries. The EPA and Singaporean models could effectively distinguish the differences in inherent risk for four hazard factors (manganese and inorganic compounds, benzene, xylene, and ethyl acetate), with the assessment accuracy being relatively higher for the EPA model. Among the six models, the EPA model had the relatively highest accuracy in assessing chemical toxicants, followed by the Singaporean model. The EPA and Romanian models were strongest in differentiating the differences in toxicity risk. More studies on OHRA methodology are needed.