Inhalation Of Outdoor Air Research Articles

Radiation hazards and lifetime risk assessment related to indoor and outdoor air inhalation using a passive detection technique

Radiation hazards and lifetime risk assessment related to indoor and outdoor air inhalation using a passive detection technique

Risk Assessment for Co-contaminated Soil Including As and Hg in the Vicinity of Abandoned Metal Mine

Objectives:In Korea, about 2,000 abandoned mine area has been polluted by harmful waste such as mine tailing, waste rock and acid mine drain without prevention facility. Mine waste contains high concentrations of various hazardous metallic and nonmetallic materials. Also, it can be a source of pollution for nearby soil, rivers, and ground water. Heavy metals may exist in ecosystems for a long time and may be taken by the residents through crops and drinking water. In this study, human risk assessment for heavy metal contamination was carried out.Methods:About the 564 soil samples were analyzed for heavy metal. The risk assessment of polluted soils was carried out in accordance with guideline of Korea Soil Environment Conservation Act. It was implied with hazard identification, exposure assessment, toxicity assessment, and risk characterization.Results and Discussion:The number of exceed sites for the worried level of soil concentration were 185 for As, 3 for Hg, 7 for Zn, 1 for Pb, 1 for Cu. Soil contact was the biggest impact on adults and children for carcinogenic risk followed by crop intake, soil intake, and soil inhalation. Non-carcinogenic risk for adults, were in order of crop intake > soil intake > soil contact > outdoor air inhalation (volatilization) > ground water intake and soil inhalation. For children, it was in the order of soil intake > crop intake > soil contact > outdoor air inhalation (volatilization) > ground water intake > soil inhalation.Conclusion:The carcinogenic purification target concentration for the site was determined to be 7.17 mg / kg level of arsenic, considering adult and child concentrations. However, carcinogenic purification target concentration by arsenic dermal absorption carcinogenic coefficients (SF<sub>abs</sub>) of USEPA method was 20.08 mg/kg, therefore requiring research for domestic risk assessment factor.

Halogenated flame retardants in atmospheric particles from a North African coastal city (Bizerte, Tunisia): Pollution characteristics and human exposure

In the present study, atmospheric particle samples were collected between September 2015 and February 2016 from Bizerte city (Tunisia) to investigate the occurrence, potential sources and impacts of a range of flame retardants (FRs), including hexabromocyclododecane diastereoisomers (HBCDDs), new halogenated flame retardants (NHFRs), as well as methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-BDEs). Among 19 examined compounds, 9 congeners (α-HBCDD, β-HBCDD, γ-HBCDD, HBB, DBDPE, syn-DP, anti-DP, 2′-MeO-BDE-68 and 6-MeO-BDE-47) were detected in atmospheric particles at different levels and frequencies. Overall, the average concentration of NHFRs (1.53 pg m−3) was 1.5 and 51 folds higher than that of HBCDDs (1.04 pg m−3) and MeO-BDEs (0.03 pg m−3), respectively. By comparison with other areas of the world, NHFRs and HBCDDs in Bizerte were at medium pollution level, while MeO-BDEs were at lower levels. No significant correlations were found between NHFR, HBCDD and MeO-BDE concentrations, suggesting different sources related on one hand to the biogenic origin of MeO-BDE, and on the other hand to various types and utilisations of imported NHFR- and HBCDD-containing products, as Tunisia does not manufacture FRs. DP and HBCDD diastereoisomer profiles appeared to be divergent from their commercial products, pointing out that a complex degradation or stereoselective transformation processes occurring in ambient air around Bizerte city. The estimated daily human exposure dose (DED) to particle-bound HBCDDs, NHFRs and MeO-BDEs via outdoor air inhalation was generally at low levels. Hence, this study reports for the first time the occurrence and potential impact of HBCDDs, NHFRs and MeO-BDEs in atmospheric particles from North Africa.

Human Health Risk Levels and Distribution of PAHs in Soil Environment of a Coking Chemical Plant Located in Beijing, China

In this study, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) organic pollutants in soil samples were determined by Soxhlet extraction- GCMS methods. Human health risks of as for 5 different sampling sites in the coking chemical plant were evaluated in four major Exposure routes, including oral intake, skin contact, inhalation the air pollutants of outdoor which from the soil surface, and inhalation the air pollutants of outdoor which from the soil lower layer. The results showed that the detection rate of 16 kinds precedent- controlled PAHs in the US Environmental Protection Agency was 100%. The three main pollutants are Baa, Bbf, Bap. The ΣPAHs comprehensive carcinogenicity risk of the oral exposure pathway is 498 times the carcinogenic risk of the skin exposure pathway, and 198 times the rate of carcinogenic risk of inhalation of soil particle Exposure route. And the rate of carcinogenic risk of Inhalation the air pollutants of outdoor which from the soil lower layer is almost 0. The hazard quotient of soil ΣPAHs main air pollutants pathway are oral intake and inhalation of outdoor air from the soil surface. The sum of them is close to 90%, The hazard quotient of soil ΣPAHs in the coking plant area is seriously exceeded. The risk of ΣPAHs in the soil of coking plant was mainly exposed to oral intake, and the contribution rate of carcinogenic risk was 99.3103%. Combined with the development characteristics of China's coking industry, regional climate and geological characteristics, make a human health risk assessment to ΣPAHs.

Seasonality in polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations in the atmosphere of the Yangtze River Delta, China

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations in the atmosphere in rapidly developing parts of China have been studied little. In this study, polyurethane foam disk passive air samplers were used to comprehensively investigate PBDE concentrations in the atmosphere of the Yangtze River Delta in different seasons in 2010 and 2011. The mean sum of the concentrations of 13 PBDE congeners was 3.3 pg/m3 in spring, 7.3 pg/m3 in summer, 1.0 pg/m3 in autumn, and 12 pg/m3 in winter. Higher PBDE concentrations were found in urban areas than in rural areas. The PBDE concentrations were comparable to concentrations that have been found in cities around the world. BDE28, BDE47, BDE99, BDE153, and BDE183 were the dominant PBDE congeners in all seasons. High PBDE concentrations were found in satellite cities, such as Changshu, Wujiang, and Zhangjiagang, suggesting that commercial PBDEs (including pentabromodiphenyl ether products) are produced and/or used in those cities. The PBDE concentrations in the atmosphere were used to estimate daily doses through the inhalation of outdoor air. The most severe risks posed by exposure to PBDEs were found to occur in winter, for both adults and children, but the PBDE concentrations were found not to pose appreciable risks to human health.

Attached and unattached fractions of short-lived radon decay products in outdoor environments: effect on the human respiratory system

The authors developed a model for determining the alpha- and beta-activities per unit volume of air due to radon ((222)Rn), thoron ((220)Rn) and their decay products attached and unattached to the aerosol in the outdoor air at the workplace in natural conditions at different locations in Morocco by using both CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid-state nuclear track detectors. In addition, the percentage of (218)Po, (214)Pb and (214)Po radionuclides attached to the aerosols and the unattached fraction f(j) for different values of the attachment rate were evaluated. Radon and thoron concentrations in outdoor air of the studied different locations were found to vary from 9.20±0.8 to 16.30±1.50 Bq m(-3) and 0.22±0.02 to 1.80±0.20 Bq m(-3), respectively. The committed equivalent doses due to the radon short-lived progeny (218)Po and (214)Po attached and unattached to the aerosol air were evaluated in different tissues of the respiratory tract of the members of the public from the inhalation of outdoor air.

Concentrations of 222Rn, 220Rn and their decay products measured in outdoor air in various rural zones (Morocco) by using solid-state nuclear track detectors and resulting radiation dose to the rural populations

Alpha and beta activities per unit volume of air due to radon ((222)Rn), thoron ((220)Rn) and their progenies were measured in the outdoor air at different locations in Morocco by using both CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). In addition, the radon concentration was continuously measured in one location by using the methods with SSNTDs and AlphaGuard counter. The influence of the geological and meteorological conditions as well as phosphate and building material dust on the radon concentration in the outdoor air of the areas studied was investigated. The committed equivalent doses due to (218)Po and (214)Po radon short-lived progeny were evaluated in different tissues of the respiratory tract of the members of the public from the inhalation of outdoor air. The annual effective dose due to radon short-lived progeny from the inhalation of outdoor air by the members of the rural population was estimated.