Urban air PCDD/Fs: Atmospheric concentrations, temporal changes, gas/particle partitioning, possible sources and cancer risks

Abstract

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) are pollutants of concern due to their toxic effects. No active sampling study on PCDD/Fs has been conducted in Bursa. This study aimed to fill this gap by measuring PCDD/F levels in the region. Accordingly, the samples were collected from an urban area in Bursa, covering four seasons between June 2022 and April 2023. The total (gas+particulate) ambient air concentrations were between 312.23 and 829.80 fg/m3 (mean: 555.05 ± 173.62 fg/m3). In terms of toxic equivalents (TEQ), the average concentration was 43.29 ± 9.18 fg WHOTEQ/m3. Based on the concentration values obtained, cancer and non-carcinogenic risk values of PCDD/Fs were calculated for three different age groups. The results indicated negligible health risks for all age groups. In addition, a seasonal assessment was also made and it was observed that PCDD/F concentration values varied with the ambient air temperatures. In general, higher values were measured in colder months compared to warmer months. This was probably due to the additional sources and adverse meteorological conditions. Moreover, the gas/particle partitioning of PCDD/Fs was investigated in detail. The average gas and particulate phase concentrations for PCDD/Fs were 101.81 ± 20.77 and 453.24 ± 172.50, respectively. It was found that an equilibrium state was not reached in the gas/particle partitioning. Two different gas/particle partition models based on adsorption and absorption mechanisms were compared, and the absorption model gave more consistent predictions. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to identify the possible PCDD/F sources. The results indicated that the region was influenced by vehicle emissions, residential heating, organized industrial zones and metal recycling facilities. In addition, 72-hour backward air mass trajectory analyses were performed to understand the long-range transported air masses. However, it was found that the transported air masses did not significantly affect the concentration values measured in the sampling site.