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Hazard posed by metals and As in PM2.5 in air of five megacities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China during APEC

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Abstract

Airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from five megacities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Jinan were collected during November 2014 and compared with similar periods in 2012 and 2013. The November 2014 period coincided with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting during which measures to control pollution of the air were introduced. Concentrations of 11 elements in PM2.5 were quantified by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave-assisted digestion. Potential effects of five toxic trace metals including Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and the metalloid As on health were assessed. In 2014, concentrations of PM2.5 were significantly less than during the same period in 2012 and 2013. Mean concentrations of six elements ranked in decreasing order, Zn > Pb > Cu ≈ Mn > As > Ni, and spatial concentrations ranked in decreasing order, Shijiazhuang > Baoding > Tianjin > Jinan > Beijing. Risks of the five metals and the metalloid As to health of humans were small, except for Mn in Shijiazhuang. Risks to health posed by other elements were less during the period of study. Risks posed by the five metals and As in Beijing were greater to varying degrees after the APEC meeting. Risks to health of humans during the APEC were overall lesser than the same period in 2012 and 2013, mostly due to lesser emissions due to the short-term control measures.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (21307165 and 21407163) and Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China (201309050). Prof. Giesy was supported by the program of 2012 “High Level Foreign Experts” (No. GDT20143200016) funded by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, People’s Republic of China, to Nanjing University and the Einstein Professor Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a visiting professor appointment from the University of Hong Kong. He was also supported by the Canada Research Chair program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Analytical Technique, China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Anwai Dayangfang No. 8, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100012, China

    Linlin Zhang & Xiaowei Jin

  2. Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK

    Andrew C. Johnson

  3. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    John P. Giesy

  4. School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    John P. Giesy

  5. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China

    John P. Giesy

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  1. Linlin Zhang
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  2. Xiaowei Jin
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  3. Andrew C. Johnson
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  4. John P. Giesy
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Correspondence to Xiaowei Jin.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Zhang, L., Jin, X., Johnson, A.C. et al. Hazard posed by metals and As in PM2.5 in air of five megacities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China during APEC. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 17603–17612 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6863-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6863-2

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