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Distribution, seasonal variation and inhalation risks of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the atmosphere of Beijing, China

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Abstract

Spatial distribution, seasonal variation and potential inhalation risks of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were investigated in the atmosphere of Beijing, using passive air samplers equipped with polyurethane foam disks. Concentrations of ΣPCDD/Fs, ΣPCBs and ΣPBDEs ranged from 8.4 to 179 fg WHO2005-TEQ/m3, 38.6–139 and 1.5–176 pg/m3, respectively. PCDFs showed higher air concentrations than those of PCDDs, indicating the influence of industrial activities and other combustion processes. The non-Aroclor congener, PCB-11, was detected in air (12.3–99.4 pg/m3) and dominated the PCB congener profiles (61.7–71.5% to ∑PCBs). The congener patterns of PBDEs showed signatures from both penta-BDE and octa-BDE products. Levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs at the industrial and residential sites were higher than those at rural site, indicating human activities in urban area as potential sources. Higher air concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs were observed in summer, which could be associated with atmospheric deposition process, re-volatilization from soil surface and volatilization from use of technical products, respectively. Results of inhalation exposure and cancer risk showed that atmospheric PCDD/Fs, dioxin-like PCBs and PBDEs did not cause high risks to the local residents of Beijing. This study provides further aid in evaluating emission sources, influencing factors and potential inhalation risks of the persistent organic pollutants to human health in mega-cities of China.

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Acknowledgements

This work was jointly funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21277165, 21477156, 21477155), National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB453101) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB14010100).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Yanfen Hao, Yingming Li, Yongbiao Hu, Huizhong Sun, Julius Matsiko, Shucheng Zheng, Pu Wang & Qinghua Zhang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yanfen Hao, Huizhong Sun, Julius Matsiko, Shucheng Zheng & Qinghua Zhang

  3. MTM Research Center, Örebro University, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden

    Thanh Wang

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  1. Yanfen Hao
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Hao, Y., Li, Y., Wang, T. et al. Distribution, seasonal variation and inhalation risks of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the atmosphere of Beijing, China. Environ Geochem Health 40, 1907–1918 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-017-9961-2

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