Air quality modeling and inhalation health risk assessment for a new generation coal-fired power plant in Central Italy

Levels of exposure markers among residents in environmentally vulnerable areas in Korea, the general population in Korea, and Asians in the United States

This study compares biomarker levels among environmentally vulnerable residents in Korea, the general Korean population, and Asians in the United States. We selected 953 exposed residents and 204 controls from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers in Environmental Health Vulnerable Areas (FROM) study (2021-2023), 4,239 participants from the fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020), and 996 Asians from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-March 2020). The analyzed biomarkers included blood and urinary metals, urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nicotine, volatile organic compounds, and serum perfluorocarbon metabolites. The highest median biomarker levels varied by pollution source among older adults. In refineries, blood lead and cadmium (Cd), as well as urinary Cd and 2-hydroxyfluorene, were highest. Abandoned metal mines exhibited the highest blood and urinary mercury, urinary Cd, total arsenic (As), 2-naphthol, and cotinine levels. Coal-fired power plants showed the highest urinary 1- hydroxyphenanthrene levels, while cement factories had the highest urinary As3+ levels. Sprawls demonstrated the highest urinary monomethylarsonic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene, and phenylglyoxylic acid levels, and industrial areas recorded the highest levels of trans, trans-muconic acid, benzylmercapturic acid, and 2-methylhippuric acid. In general, biomarker levels were higher among exposed residents in the FROM study than in the general population; however, urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene and As5+ levels did not differ significantly. Exposure to pollution sources in environmentally vulnerable areas may elevate biomarker levels in residents.

Health risk assessment of municipal solid waste incineration emissions based on regression analysis

This study examined the potential health risks posed by the operation of 96 waste-to-energy (WtE) plants in 30 cities in the Bohai Rim of China. Utilizing a sophisticated simulation approach, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the California Puff (CALPUFF) model, we obtained the spatial distribution of pollutants emitted by WtE plants in the atmosphere. Hazard indices (HI) and cancer risks (CR) were calculated for each plant using the United States Environmental Protection Agency's recommended methodologies. The results indicated that both HIs and CRs were generally low, with values below the accepted threshold of 1.0 and 1.0 × 10-6, respectively. Specifically, the average HI and CR values for the entire study area were 2.95 × 10-3 and 3.43 × 10-7, respectively. However, some variability in these values was observed depending on the location and type of WtE plant. A thorough analysis of various parameters, such as waste composition, moisture content, and operating conditions, was conducted to identify the factors that influence the health risks associated with incineration. The findings suggest that proper waste sorting and categorization, increased cost of construction, and elevated height of chimneys are effective strategies for reducing the health risks associated with incineration. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the potential health risks associated with WtE plants in the Bohai Rim region of China. The findings can serve as useful guidelines for law enforcement wings and industry professionals seeking to minimize the risks associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) management and promote sustainable development.

Inhalation health risk assessment of incineration and landfill in the Bohai Rim, China

An inhalation health risks assessment of 96 waste to energy (WtE) plants and 178 landfills in the Bohai Rim, located in northeast China, has been conducted. Based on the latest emission inventories in 2020, WRF/CALPUFF was used to simulate the diffusion of pollutants. Population-weighted hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR) of incineration and landfill for each pollutant and each target organ impacted were calculated. The health risks of incineration and landfill were correlated with per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal quantity, emission factors, pollutant toxic effects and local migration and diffusion conditions. The HI of incineration and landfill in the Bohai Rim were 4.07 × 10^-3 and 4.79 × 10^-3, respectively, which was lower than the acceptable level (HI < 1), while the CR of incineration and landfill were 4.72 × 10^-7 and 2.58 × 10^-7, respectively, which was also lower than the acceptable level (CR < 1 × 10^-6). The non-carcinogenic risks of incineration mainly targeted respiratory system and development system, while the non-carcinogenic risks of landfill mainly targeted nervous system and respiratory system. The carcinogenic risks of incineration mainly targeted respiratory system and digestive system, while the carcinogenic risks of landfill mainly targeted hepatic system and respiratory system. With the trend that incineration phase in, while landfill phase out, the number of patients for 15 target organ diseases caused by the disposal of unit mass MSW would decrease in the Bohai Rim, ranging from 1.8 × 10^-8 - 1.8 × 10^-2 (pop/t)，especially in developed provinces, such as Beijing and Tianjin. However, the number of patients for 4 target organ diseases caused by the disposal of unit mass MSW would increase, ranging from 1.18 × 10^-6 - 5.28 × 10^-3 (pop/t). Based on pollutants' pathogenic mechanisms, this study innovatively accessed and compared incineration and landfill's health risks of target organs, and provide technical and policy suggestions based on the changing trend of MSW disposal methods in the future.

A procedure to detect and identify specific chemicals of potential inhalation toxicity concern in aerosols

OBJECTIVE

Understanding the potential inhalation toxicity of poorly characterized aerosols is challenging both because aerosols may contain numerous chemicals and because it is difficult to predict which chemicals may present significant inhalation toxicity concerns at the observed levels. We have developed a novel systematic procedure to address these challenges through non-targeted chemical analysis by two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS) and assessment of the results using publicly available toxicity data to prioritize the tentatively identified detected chemicals according to potential inhalation toxicity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The procedure involves non-targeted chemical analysis of aerosol samples utilizing GC × GC-TOFMS, which is selected because it is an effective technique for detecting chemicals in complex samples and assigning tentative identities according to the mass spectra. For data evaluation, existing toxicity data (e.g. from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CompTox Chemicals Dashboard) are used to calculate multiple toxicity metrics that can be compared among the tentatively identified chemicals. These metrics include hazard quotient, incremental lifetime cancer risk, and metrics analogous to hazard quotient that we designated as exposure-(toxicology endpoint) ratios.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

We demonstrated the utility of our procedure by detecting, identifying, and prioritizing specific chemicals of potential inhalation toxicity concern in the mainstream smoke generated from the machine-smoking of marijuana blunts.

CONCLUSION

By designing a systematic approach for detecting and identifying numerous chemicals in complex aerosol samples and prioritizing the chemicals in relation to different inhalation toxicology endpoints, we have developed an effective approach to elucidate the potential inhalation toxicity of aerosols.

Environmental and human health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in soils around the largest coal-fired power station in Southern Russia

The combustion of solid fuel at power plants pollutes adjacent areas with potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which increases risks to public health in the vicinity of these facilities. The proposed paper presents the results of a geochemical study of PTEs (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) contamination in the vicinity of Novocherkassk Power Plant (NPP) as it relates to environmental and human health risks. The impact zone of NPP is pronounced for a distance of approximately 7 km northwest of the enterprise-the second largest coal power plant in Southern Russia. Data from monitoring sites lead us to conclude that spatial patterns of soil pollution are strongly influenced by the peculiarities of local atmospheric circulation, while the characteristics of soils within the study area play a secondary role. The highest levels of PTEs and their exchangeable forms exceed both regional background and sanitary and hygienic standards within a radius of 3 km to the west of the plant, which corresponds to a zone of soils contaminated with Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb. The carcinogenic risk to human health slightly exceeds the permissible standard of 1 × 10^-6 for soils in close vicinity of the enterprise due to the potential human intake of Ni, Cd, and Pb. The results of the health risk assessment indicate no noncarcinogenic risks for adults, while for children, they are low.

Electric vehicle-attributed environmental injustice: Pollutant transfer into regions with poor traffic accessibility

Electric vehicles (EVs) are promoted in recent years as an effective way in alleviating the air pollution caused by tailpipe emissions. However, the pollutants derived from EVs are unheeded. EVs rely on electricity to provide power, and thus their related pollution is transferred to the power plants, which gives rise to the environmental and health pressure to the adjacent regions. In this paper, the transfer of EV-attributed PM_2.5, SO₂, and NO_x inhalations in China are studied. Then by comparing the inhalations versus traffic accessibility among the impacted municipalities, this study sheds light on the environmental injustice lying in the mismatch between pollutant inhalations and traffic accessibility. The results reveal that compared with Shanghai and Shenzhen, the promotion of EVs in Beijing triggers higher pollutant inhalations to its surrounding municipalities. North China Power Grid undertakes 715.62 g PM_2.5 inhalation in total, which is 2.51 and 3.20 times higher than the East China Power Grid and the China Southern Power Grid, respectively. The number of municipalities with lower traffic accessibility while higher pollutant inhalation is 8,8, and 17 in North China Power Grid, East China Power Grid, and China Southern Power Grid respectively, indicating conspicuous environmental injustice resulted from the promotion of EVs.

Chemistry and Microbiology of Urban Roof Runoff in Kraków, Poland with Ecological and Health Risk Implications

Urban rainwater samples, collected in various districts of Kraków during the period from the spring of 2019 to the winter of 2020, were investigated, and relevant risk implications were assessed. The contents of 31 components were determined, including: bacteria, fungi, pH, EC, Cl-, N-NO3, P-PO4, SO42-, SiO2, K, Mg, Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, K, Mg, Mo, Na, Pb, Sb, and Zn. The highest contents of the investigated elements were determined in the industrial (eastern) part of Kraków. The values of toxicity potential were <1, indicating a lack of ecological risk. The value of contamination degree indicated moderate rainwater contamination in all analyzed elements (Cdeg = 9.44). The total non-carcinogenic risk values, in both adults (hazard quotient (HQ) = 1.38) and children (HQ = 2.54), exceeded the acceptable level of one. Regarding individual elements in dermal contact, the acceptable level of 1 × 10−6 was exceeded in Pb (adults carcinogenic risk (CR) = 4.87 × 10−5, children CR = 2.23 × 10−5). The contents of the analyzed chemical compounds did not exceed the permissible levels adopted for drinking water; however, rainwater was significantly contaminated with respect to its microbiological parameters. Rainwater was suitable for non-potable use.

Carcinogenic risk from exposure to PM2.5 bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rural settings

In the study, first-time personal exposure level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured during cooking hours in participants of three different types of kitchen both in the particulate and gaseous phase using traditional and improved cookstoves. Along with that, indoor particulate matter (PM) concentration was also estimated during the cooking hours to examine the impact of intervention in different kitchens. The results of the study clearly revealed that the kitchen characteristics and type of cookstove technology have a significant impact on PM_2.5, PM₁ and PAHs concentration. Cookstoves intervention has resulted in maximum reduction of PM₁ i.e. 75% in an enclosed kitchen followed by semi-enclosed and open kitchen having 71% and 52%, respectively. In addition, correlation analysis of PM_2.5 and PM₁ with PAHs showed a strong association (r² = 0.9), showing the affinity of PAHs to bind to fine range of particles. Health risk assessment was also carried out to assess the PM daily dose and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk due to inhalation of PAHs. The study confirmed the personal concentration of PAHs compounds was significantly high (p < 0.05) during use of traditional cookstove compared to improved cookstove among all the three kitchens. Furthermore, to measure the toxicity levels, PAHs concentrations have been converted to benzo[a]pyrene equivalence for calculating cancer and non-cancer effects using toxicity equivalency factors. The overall lifetime carcinogenic risk was the highest 2.5E-03, 6.4E-04 among women who prepared meals in the enclosed kitchen compared to 8.4E-04, 1.3E-04 in semi-enclosed and 2.2E-04, 4.6E-05 in the open kitchen during use of traditional and improved cookstoves, respectively, which exceeded the US EPA standard i.e. 1 × 10^-6. The study underlined the importance of personal monitoring for exposure, and risks-based studies along with the time-activity of user to measure the actual inhalation risk for the participants. These findings indicated that women are exposed to hazardous smoke in the indoor kitchen and are at greater risk of developing cancer, especially in rural areas.