Characteristics and health risk assessment of PM _2.5 -PAHs in a select Chinese ceramic industrial site during winter

During the winter of 2020-2021, PM_2.5-PAH samples were collected and analyzed at the Jiangxi Architectural Ceramics Industry Park to evaluate the implementation of comprehensive air pollution control measures and determine their effect on the health risk of the local exposed population. The study results showed that the pollution level of PM_2.5-PAHs was 5.54 ± 2.45 ng m³, which was primarily composed of benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[e]pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, and pyrene. Using diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis, qualitative or semi-quantitative analysis found that the PM_2.5-PAHs were mainly derived from gasoline and diesel vehicle exhaust emissions, road dust, and vehicle non-exhaust emissions. Moreover, employing Pearson correlation analysis, it was found that the PM_2.5-PAHs were greatly affected by a combination of wind direction, wind speed, and gaseous pollutants. The inhalation exposure health risks of PM_2.5-PAHs were evaluated using the BaP equivalent concentration, excess cancer risk, incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk, and loss of life expectancy. It was found that the health risks of PM_2.5-PAHs were mainly influenced by high molecular weight PAHs. For various genders and heterogeneous groups, this study showed that the carcinogenic risk of PM_2.5-PAHs for men was higher than for women, and it was higher for adults than for adolescents and children, but the risks to all groups were at acceptable levels. The above results show that PM_2.5-PAHs emissions in the ceramic industry were very low and would not affect human health. These were probably due to the fact that the industrial park had completed its ultra-low emission transformation at the time of sampling, and the fuel used in the industrial furnace had been changed from coal to water gas supplemented with natural gas.<i>Implications</i>: Industrial emissions are one of the main sources of toxic and hazardous substances, PM_2.5-PAHs. However, insufficient research on health risks of PM_2.5-PAHs associated of ceramic industries, especially after the implementation of tighter government controls and the upgrading of and transformation to cleaner production processes. Hence, PM_2.5-PAHs samples were collected at the Jiangxi Ceramic Industrial Park. We analyzed the causes of PM_2.5-PAHs to evaluate the implementation of comprehensive air pollution control measures, and determine their effect on the health risk of the local exposed population by using the <i>BaP_eq</i>, excess cancer risk, incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk, and loss of life expectancy.