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Passive air sampling for determining the levels of ambient PCDD/Fs and their seasonal and spatial variations and inhalation risk in Shanghai, China

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Abstract

The seasonal and spatial variations, compositional profiles, and possible sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in ambient air samples in Shanghai of China were investigated by passive air samplers, and the potential inhalation risks posed by these chemicals were evaluated. The following results were obtained: (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) toxic equivalency (TEQ) values for PCDD/Fs were in the range of 10.8–259 fg m−3 (mean 63.4 fg m−3) in summer and 24.1–154 fg m−3 (mean 83.4 fg m−3) in winter. Atmospheric PCDD/F levels were in the following order: industrial areas > commercial and residential areas > rural areas. (2) 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF (24 %), 2,3,7,8-TeCDD (16 %), 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD (13 %), and 2,3,7,8-TeCDF (12 %) were the predominant contributors to the TEQ of PCDD/Fs. (3) There was a slight seasonal trend with higher TEQ values in winter than in summer, which could be related to seasonal variations in the dispersion of PCDD/Fs in ambient air. (4) The children’s daily intake was at the lower end of the range for the tolerable daily intake of PCDD/Fs recommended by WHO, which indicates that the inhalation risk of PCDD/Fs for local residents in Shanghai is relatively low.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21407137 and 51178440), the special fund for the Public Service Sector of the State Environmental Protection Agency of China (Grant No. 201209020), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 2013M540122 and 2014T70105), and the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (Grant No. SKLECRA2014OFP04).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yajun Tian, Zhiqiang Nie, Shulei Tian, Feng Liu, Jie He, Yufei Yang, Xingrun Wang, Qingqi Die, Yanyan Fang & Qifei Huang

  2. College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Qingqi Die

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  1. Yajun Tian
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  2. Zhiqiang Nie
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Tian, Y., Nie, Z., Tian, S. et al. Passive air sampling for determining the levels of ambient PCDD/Fs and their seasonal and spatial variations and inhalation risk in Shanghai, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 13243–13250 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4552-1

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