Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of heavy metals in PM2.5 in Fuxin, China

Fuxin is located in the atmospheric channel around Bohai Bay, and its geographical location is very special. Few existing studies have investigated the pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of heavy metals in atmospheric PM_2.5 during the four seasons in Fuxin, so a total of 180 PM_2.5 samples were collected from four sampling sites in Fuxin from December 2021 to November 2022. The seasonal distribution characteristics of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Sb, Cd and Ba were analysed via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP‒MS), and the source of the heavy metals was analysed via the enrichment factor (EF) and principal component analysis (PCA). A health risk model was used to assess the health risk of respiratory exposure in men, women and children in Fuxin. The results revealed that the annual average mass order of heavy metals in Fuxin PM_2.5 was Zn (0.2947 μg·m^-3) > Pb (0.0664 μg·m^-3) > As (0.0225 μg·m^-3) > Ba (0.0205 μg·m^-3) > Mn (0.0187 μg·m^-3) > Cu (0.0140 μg·m^-3) > Cr (0.0095 μg·m^-3) > V (0.0067 μg·m^-3) > Ni (0.0061 μg·m^-3) > Sb (0.0024 μg·m^-3) > Cd (0.0019 μg·m^-3) > Co (0.0007 μg·m^-3). The annual average concentration of As was 3.75 times the GB3095-2012 (China) secondary standard limit, and the concentration of hazard quotient (HQ) in PM_2.5 was lower than 1, but the concentration of incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) in As was higher than the cancer risk threshold (10^-4). These findings indicate a certain risk of cancer in the urban population of Fuxin. Therefore, it is necessary to control the emissions created from coal burning to minimize the health risks to the people of Fuxin.