A comparison on the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their corresponding carcinogenic potencies from a vehicle engine using leaded and lead-free gasoline

Revealing the Chemical Profiles of Airborne Particulate Matter Sources in Lake Baikal Area: A Combination of Three Techniques

Positive matrix factorization (PMF) is a widely used multivariate source apportionment technique. However, PMF-derived source profiles are never compared to real ones because of the absence of data on the chemical composition of source emissions. The aim of this study was to verify the validity of PMF-derived source profiles using the diagnostic ratios (DR) method and end-member mixing analysis (EMMA). The composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in particulate matter (PM) sampled in the air above Lake Baikal in summer and the composition of inorganic elements (IE) in PM accumulated in Lake Baikal snowpack were used as study objects. Five PAH sources and five IE sources were identified using PMF. Eight PAHs and six IEs selected from PMF-derived source profiles were recognized as eligible for calculating the DRs (species 1/(species 1 + species 2)) suitable for testing PMF results using EMMA. EMMA was based on determining whether most samples in mixing diagrams that use DR values as coordinates of source points could be bound by a geometrical shape whose vertices are pollution sources. It was found that the four PAH sources and four IE sources obtained using PMF were also identified using EMMA. Thus, the validity of the most of PMF-derived source profiles was proved.

Male fertility as a marker for health

Male reproduction is a complex biological process, and male factor infertility is increasingly recognized as a biomarker for overall male health. Emerging data suggest associations between male reproduction and medical disease (genetic, infectious, chronic comorbid conditions), psychological disease, environmental exposures, dietary habits, medications and substances of abuse, and even socioeconomic factors. There is also evidence that a diagnosis of male fertility is associated with future disease risk including cancer, metabolic disease and mortality. As such, there is a growing view that the male fertility evaluation is an opportunity to improve a man's health beyond his immediate reproductive goals, and also highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach.

Occurrence of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in typical used mineral oil from China: implications for risk management

Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the important contaminants in used mineral oil (UMO) and likely pose environmental risks in the processes of disposal and regeneration. However, little information on the concentrations and associated with the risk of heavy metals and PAHs in various types of UMO from different industries is available. In this study, the occurrence of heavy metals and PAHs in the UMOs from typical industries in China was investigated. The median concentrations of 12 metals were 0.1-28 mg/kg. PAHs were mainly composed of 2- and 3-ring compounds and the median concentrations of 16 PAHs were 0.03-7.6 mg/kg in different UMO. The cluster analysis showed that samples with high heavy metal and PAH concentrations mainly originated from machine manufacturing and vehicle industries. The random forest model suggested that the species and phase of UMO were the main influencing factors associated with heavy metal concentrations, and the relative importance was 71.1-19.9%, 100-30.7%, 42.3-20.7%, 38.0-11.8%, and 100-24.1% for Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, and Pb models, respectively, while industry was the main influencing factor associated with PAHs in UMO, and the relative importance was 81.5-51.5%, 27.7-16.5%, 83.4-25.3%, 94.8-21.4%, and 53.3-16.1% for 2- to 6-ring models, respectively.

Distribution of coal and coal combustion related organic pollutants in the environment of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region

In this study, a large sample set (276) was separated into up to 15 groups, including coal, fly ash, total particulate matter, coal wastes, river sediments, and different water types. Grouping the sample set into these categories helped to identify the typical features of combustion or water-washing and compare them using newly developed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon diagnostic ratios. A wide range of organic pollutants were identified in samples, including aromatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons, nitrogen-heterocycles, sulphur-heterocycles + trithiolane, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons substituted with oxygen functional groups. The distribution of compounds was significantly influenced by water washing or combustion. During the self-heating of coal wastes, secondary compounds such as chlorinated aromatics (chlorobenzene, chloroanthracene, etc.) or light sulphur compounds (e.g. benzenethiol and benzo[b]thiophene) were formed (synthesised). Since these compounds are generally absent in sedimentary organic matter, their origin may be connected with high-temperature formation in burning coal dumps. These compounds should be identified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. The newly defined diagnostic ratios have worked well in separating samples (petrogenic and pyrogenic) and have pointed out the effect of incomplete combustion on self-heated coal waste, ash from domestic furnaces, or water washing and biodegradation of the studied compounds.

Unregulated emissions from diesel engine with particulate filter using Fe-based fuel borne catalyst

The alteration and formation of toxic compounds and potential changes in the toxicity of emissions when using after-treatment technologies have gained wide attention. Volatile organic compound (VOC), carbonyl compound and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions were tested at European Steady State Cycle (ESC) to study unregulated emissions from a diesel engine with a fuel-borne catalyst and diesel particulate filter (FBC-DPF). An Fe-based fuel-borne catalyst was used for this study. According to the results, brake specific emissions of total VOCs without and with DPF were 4.7 and 4.9mg/kWh, respectively, showing a 4.3% increase. Benzene and n-undecane emissions increased and toluene emission decreased, while other individual VOC emissions basically had no change. When retrofitted with the FBC-DPF, total carbonyl compound emission decreased 15.7%, from 25.8 to 21.8mg/kWh. The two highest carbonyls, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, were reduced from 20.0 and 3.7 to 16.5 and 3.3mg/kWh respectively. The specific reactivity (SR) with DPF was reduced from 6.68 to 6.64mg/kWh. Total particle-phase PAH emissions decreased 66.4% with DPF compared to that without DPF. However, the Benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaPeq) with DPF had increased from 0.016 to 0.030mg/kWh. Fluoranthene and Pyrene had the greatest decrease, 91.1% and 88.4% respectively. The increase of two- and three-ring PAHs with DPF indicates that the fuel-borne catalyst caused some gas-phase PAHs to adsorb on particles. The results of this study expand the knowledge of the effects of using a particulate filter and a Fe-based fuel-borne catalyst on diesel engine unregulated emissions.

Characterization and concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in emissions from different heating systems in Damascus, Syria

Traffic has long been recognized as the major contributor to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions to the urban atmosphere. Stationary combustion sources, including residential space heating systems, are also a major contributor to PAH emissions. The aim of this study was to determine the profile and concentration of PAHs in stack flue gas emissions from different kinds of space heaters in order to increase the understanding of the scale of the PAH pollution problem caused by this source. This study set out to first assess the characteristics of PAHs and their corresponding benzo[a]pyrene equivalent emissions from a few types of domestic heaters and central heating systems to the urban atmosphere. The study, enabled for the first time, the characterization of PAHs in stationary combustion sources in the city of Damascus, Syria. Nine different types of heating systems were selected with respect to age, design, and type of fuel burned. The concentrations of 15 individual PAH compounds in the stack flue gas were determined in the extracts of the collected samples using high-performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC) equipped with ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence detectors. In general, older domestic wood stoves caused considerably higher PAH emissions than modern domestic heaters burning diesel oil. The average concentration of ΣPAH (sum of 15 compounds) in emissions from all types of studied heating systems ranged between 43 ± 0.4 and 316 ± 1.4 μg/m(3). Values of total benzo[a]pyrene equivalent ranged between 0.61 and 15.41 μg/m(3).

Radiocarbon-based source apportionment of carbonaceous aerosols at a regional background site on Hainan Island, South China

To assign fossil and nonfossil contributions to carbonaceous particles, radiocarbon ((14)C) measurements were performed on organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water-insoluble OC (WINSOC) of aerosol samples from a regional background site in South China under different seasonal conditions. The average contributions of fossil sources to EC, OC and WINSOC were 38 ± 11%, 19 ± 10%, and 17 ± 10%, respectively, indicating generally a dominance of nonfossil emissions. A higher contribution from fossil sources to EC (∼51%) and OC (∼30%) was observed for air-masses transported from Southeast China in fall, associated with large fossil-fuel combustion and vehicle emissions in highly urbanized regions of China. In contrast, an increase of the nonfossil contribution by 5-10% was observed during the periods with enhanced open biomass-burning activities in Southeast Asia or Southeast China. A modified EC tracer method was used to estimate the secondary organic carbon from fossil emissions by determining (14)C-derived fossil WINSOC and fossil EC. This approach indicates a dominating secondary component (70 ± 7%) of fossil OC. Furthermore, contributions of biogenic and biomass-burning emissions to contemporary OC were estimated to be 56 ± 16% and 44 ± 14%, respectively.

Can Coronene and/or Benzo(a)pyrene/Coronene ratio act as unique markers for vehicle emission?

Coronene is a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with seven aromatic rings. It, more specifically a lower ratio of Benzo[a]pyrene to Coronone (BaP/COR), is suggested as a marker for vehicle emission. In the present study, emissions of Coronene were measured from residential combustions of wood, crop straw, and pellets. The detection of COR in non-vehicle emission sources, and comparable BaP/COR ratios between the solid fuel combustion and vehicle emissions indicated that the generality of COR or the BaP/COR ratio as markers for the vehicle emission would be questionable, especially for the area where solid fuel combustion dominated the PAHs emission.

Emission characteristics for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from solid fuels burned in domestic stoves in rural China

Emission characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from residential combustion of crop residues, woody material, coal, and biomass pellets in domestic stoves in rural China are compared in term of emission factors (EFs), influencing factors, composition profiles, isomer ratios and phase distributions. The EFs of PAHs vary by 2 orders of magnitude among fuel types suggesting that a detailed fuel categorization is useful in the development of an emission inventory and potential in emission abatement of PAHs by replacing dirty fuels with relatively cleaner ones. The influence of fuel moisture in biomass burning is nonlinear. Biofuels with very low moisture display relatively high emissions as do fuels with very high moisture. Bituminous coals and brushwood yield relatively large fractions of high molecular PAHs. The emission factor of benzo(a)pyrene equivalent quantity for raw bituminous coal is as high as 52 mg/kg, which is 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than the other fuels. For source diagnosis, high molecular weight isomers are more informative than low molecular weight ones and multiple ratios could be used together whenever possible.

Physicochemical characterization of particulate emissions from a compression ignition engine employing two injection technologies and three fuels

Alternative fuels and injection technologies are a necessary component of particulate emission reduction strategies for compression ignition engines. Consequently, this study undertakes a physicochemical characterization of diesel particulate matter (DPM) for engines equipped with alternative injection technologies (direct injection and common rail) and alternative fuels (ultra low sulfur diesel, a 20% biodiesel blend, and a synthetic diesel). Particle physical properties were addressed by measuring particle number size distributions, and particle chemical properties were addressed by measuring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Particle volatility was determined by passing the polydisperse size distribution through a thermodenuder set to 300 °C. The results from this study, conducted over a four point test cycle, showed that both fuel type and injection technology have an impact on particle emissions, but injection technology was the more important factor. Significant particle number emission (54%-84%) reductions were achieved at half load operation (1% increase-43% decrease at full load) with the common rail injection system; however, the particles had a significantly higher PAH fraction (by a factor of 2 to 4) and ROS concentrations (by a factor of 6 to 16) both expressed on a test-cycle averaged basis. The results of this study have significant implications for the health effects of DPM emissions from both direct injection and common rail engines utilizing various alternative fuels.

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban street dust: implications for human health

The determination of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban street dust has been done. Samples were collected from 12 sampling locations in a city centre location (Newcastle upon Tyne, north east England) and extracted using in situ pressurised fluid extraction followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. From the results it was possible to identify three groups, with respect to PAH concentration, with PAH contents ranging between 0.6-2.3 mg kg(-1), 15.6-22.5 mg kg(-1) and 36.1-46.0 mg kg(-1). The total PAH content of samples from these sampling sites has been compared to 22 urban locations around the world; comparable levels were found in these samples compared to the other cities around the world. The potential source of PAHs has been investigated by investigating the proportion of pyrogenic and petrogenic material in urban street dust using specific individual PAH ratios. The results indicate that the PAH content of urban street dust from the chosen sites are more likely to be due to pyrogenic sources i.e. vehicle exhaust emissions. The particle size fractions (<63 μm; 63-125 μm; 125-250 μm; 250-500 μm; 500-1,000 μm; and 1,000-2,000 μm) of individual PAHs in three selected sampling sites was investigated. In two of the selected sites the PAH content was independent of particle size whereas in sampling site 10 elevated PAH levels are noted in the <63 μm size fraction. Sampling site 10 is located at the junction of three road tributaries which are used as major access points to the east of the city centre. Finally, the potential health risk for unintentional consumption of PAHs was assessed in terms of a mean daily intake (based on an ingestion rate of 100 mg d(-1)). It was found that all 4-6 membered ring PAHs had concentrations in excess of the mean daily intake thereby reflecting a potential health risk, particularly in the smallest size particle fractions.

Effect of biomass open burning on particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration levels and PAH dry deposition in ambient air

The objectives of the present study were to investigate particulate matter (PM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in ambient air during rice straw open burning and non-open burning periods. In the ambient air of a rice field, the mean PM concentration during and after an open burning event were 1828 and 102 μg m⁻³, respectively, which demonstrates that during a rice field open burning event, the PM concentration in the ambient air of rice field is over 17 times higher than that of the non-open burning period. During an open burning event, the mean total PAH and total toxic equivalence (BaP(eq)) concentrations in the ambient air of a rice field were 7206 ng m⁻³ and 10.3 ng m⁻³, respectively, whereas after the open burning event, they were 376 ng m⁻³ and 1.50 ng m⁻³, respectively. Open burning thus increases total PAH and total BaP(eq) concentrations by 19-fold and 6.8-fold, respectively. During a rice straw open burning event, in the ambient air of a rice field, the mean dry deposition fluxes of total PAHs and total BaP(eq) were 1222 μg m⁻² day⁻¹ and 4.80 μg m⁻² day⁻¹, respectively, which are approximately 60- and 3-fold higher than those during the non-open burning period, respectively. During the non-open burning period, particle-bound PAHs contributed 79.2-84.2% of total dry deposition fluxes (gas + particle) of total PAHs. However, an open burning event increases the contribution to total PAH dry deposition by particle-bound PAHs by up to 85.9-95.5%. The results show that due to the increased amount of PM in the ambient air resulting from rice straw open burning, particle-bound PAHs contributed more to dry deposition fluxes of total PAHs than they do during non-open burning periods. The results show that biomass (rice straw) open burning is an important PAH emission source that significantly increases both PM and PAH concentration levels and PAH dry deposition in ambient air.

Analysis of smoke PAHs from selected Taiwanese cigarettes by using molecular imprinting polymers

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives are common trace pollutants produced during incomplete combustion of organic substances, such as tobacco. After sampling cigarette smoke, PAH collators must undergo pretreatment processes such as extraction, cleanup and concentration before instrument analysis. This study combines molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) to create a novel sample pretreatment technique. Experimental results demonstrate that MIPs have good selectivity for benz[a]pyrene (BaP) from a mixture of 16 PAH solvents. The MIPs were applied to a sample taken from mainstream smoke from a cigarette. Based on functional monomers and crosslinkers, this study investigated two groups of MIPs. After the template was removed, various tests, including capacity, selectivity, recovery, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and real environmental sample tests, were conducted. Experimental results show that MIP-1 is the best MIP, with a capacity of 20.78 +/- 1.7 (micro g/g), BaP selectivity and recovery exceeding 93%. In environmental sample tests, i.e., mainstream smoke from S and M brand cigarettes, 80% of BaP was absorbed by the MIP compared with absorbed by the filters. All experimental results suggest that MIPs effectively adsorbed BaP among 16 different PAHs, reduced background interference and increased signal resolution compared with traditional extraction techniques. Additionally, using MIPs for sample pretreatment is less time-consuming than traditional sample pretreatments and also reduces the amount of organic solvent used. Using molecular imprinted polymers solid extraction (MISPE) may separate target analytes from a complex sample more effectively than traditional Soxhlet extraction. Future toxicity tests should contribute to the understanding of toxic compounds emitted from specific pollution sources.

Decreased sperm motility is associated with air pollution in Salt Lake City

OBJECTIVE

To study the correlation between indices of air pollution and sperm parameters.

DESIGN

Ecological study.

SETTING

Contained geographic area.

PATIENT(S)

Resident men presenting for semen analysis or artificial insemination.

INTERVENTION(S)

Analysis of levels of particulate air pollution (particulate matter [PM] 2.5) over a five-year period in relation to sperm parameters obtained from semen analyses and separately in relation to sequences of sperm parameters at the time of semen preparations for artificial insemination. To account for the duration of spermatogenesis (72 days), "corrected" variables were created by shifting backward 1, 2, 3 and 4 months each of the semen parameters. The final analysis corrected for season of the year and current temperature.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Sperm concentration, sperm motility and sperm morphology.

RESULT(S)

The study included 1,699 semen analyses and 877 inseminations. PM 2.5 levels were highest in the winter months, when the ambient temperature was the lowest. Semen analysis data showed that values of PM 2.5 were negatively correlated to sperm motility two months and three months following the recording of the PM 2.5 values. Artificial insemination data also showed that sperm motility correlated negatively with PM 2.5 values recorded three months previously.

CONCLUSION(S)

Both semen analysis and sperm parameters data obtained from men presenting for multiple inseminations over time showed that air pollution is associated with reduced sperm motility two to three month after exposure.

Using oily wastewater emulsified fuel in boiler: energy saving and reduction of air pollutant emissions

The limited data for using emulsified oil have demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing flue gas pollutant emissions. The presence of a high concentration of toxic organic compounds in industrial wastewaters always presents significant problems. Therefore, this study was undertaken by using wastewater with COD of 9600 mg/L and total petroleum hydrocarbons-gasoline 440 mg/L for making an emulsified oil (wastewater content 20% with 0.1% surfactant) to evaluate the extent of reductions in both criteria pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For comparison, two other systems (heavy oil fuel and water-emulsified oil) were also conducted. The wastewater-emulsified oil fuel results in significant reductions in particulate matter (PM), NO(x), SO2, and CO as compared to heavy oil fuel and similar to those from water/oil emulsified fuel; for PM, it is better in wastewater-emulsified oil. The reductions of total PAH flue gas emissions are 38 and 30% for wastewater- and water-emulsified fuel, respectively; they are 63 and 44% for total BaP(eq), respectively. In addition to reducing flue gas pollutant emissions, the results also demonstrate that the use of wastewater-emulsified fuel in boiler operation provides several advantages: (1) safe disposal of industrial wastewater; and (2) energy savings of about 13%. Thus, wastewater/oil-emulsified fuel is highly suitable for use in boilers.

Speciation of volatile aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons in an urban atmosphere using TCT-GC/MS

Several aromatic and chlorinated volatile hydrocarbons (VOCs) were measured in Vitoria-Gasteiz City (Spain) throughout the years 1999 and 2002 in order to find out the concentration of these pollutants in urban air. These VOCs were retained in Tenax TA, subsequently desorpted by using a thermal desorption cold trap injector (TCT), and thereafter analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This analytical methodology permits the determination of 42 VOCs at very low concentrations, although only 32 of them were found in the urban air of the city (ranging from 205.51 to 0.01 microg m(-3)), with high reproducibility (%RSD lower than 10%). Twenty-four-hour samples were taken each sampling day to ascertain their total daily concentration, and rigorous quality controls were carried out to check the representativeness of sampling. Results of this exhaustive study show that toluene (T), xylenes (X), ethylbenzene (E), and benzene (B) were, respectively, the most abundant of these VOCs in the urban area during that period. The total concentration of BTEX represented, on average, more than 72.6% of the VOC total concentration, with the highest concentrations being reached in autumn, except for benzene and derived compounds (in winter). Benzene was the minority BTEX pollutant, its yearly mean concentration being less than the maximum established by the European Directive 2000/69/CE (5 microg m(-3)).

Relationship between concentration of pyrene and aerosol size distribution in traffic exhausts in Taipei, Taiwan

Variations in pyrene concentrations in motor-vehicle emissions were assessed on the basis of aerodynamic particle size and by the type of vehicle (i.e., car, truck, or bus) that passed through a Taipei, Taiwan, highway toll station. Airborne particles were collected with 8-stage cascade samplers equipped with 34-mm polyvinyl chloride filters and located in the breathing zones of toll-station workers. The authors used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to analyze 22 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that were collected. The absolute concentration of pyrene was highest in the fine-particle emission fraction for trucks, buses, and passenger cars; however, fine particles in truck and bus exhausts contained higher pyrene concentrations than the corresponding size fraction of particles emitted from passenger cars. Truck and bus emissions contained a higher concentration of pyrene than car emissions because trucks and buses produced greater amounts of fine and coarse particles, and their fine particles contained higher concentrations of pyrene.

Emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from batch hot mix asphalt plants

This study was set out to assess the characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions from batch hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants and PAH removal efficiencies associated with their installed air pollution control devices. Field samplings were conducted on six randomly selected batch HMA plants. For each selected plant, stack flue gas samples were collected from both stacks of the batch mixer (n = 5) and the preheating boiler (n = 5), respectively. PAH samples were also collected from the field to assess PAHs that were directly emitted from the discharging chute (n = 3). To assess PAH removal efficiencies of the installed air pollution control devices, PAH contents in both cyclone fly ash (n=3) and bag filter fly ash (n = 3) were analyzed. Results show that the total PAH concentration (mean; RSD) in the stack flue gas of the batch mixer (354 microg/Nm3; 78.5%) was higher than that emitted from the discharging chute (107 microg/Nm3; 70.1%) and that in the stack flue gas of the preheating boiler (83.7 microg/Nm3; 77.6%). But the total BaPeq concentration of that emitted from the discharging chute (0.950 microg/Nm3; 84.4%) was higher than contained in the stack flue gas of the batch mixer (0.629 microg/Nm3; 86.8%) and the stack flue gas of the preheating boiler (= 0.112 microg/Nm3; 80.3%). The mean total PAH emission factor for all selected batch mix plants (= 139 mg/ton x product) was much higher than that reported by U.S. EPA for the drum mix asphalt plant (range = 11.8-79.0 mg/ton x product). We found the overall removal efficiency of the installed air pollution control devices (i.e., cyclone + bag filter) on total PAHs and total BaPeq were 22.1% and 93.7%, respectively. This implies that the installed air pollution control devices, although they have a very limited effect on the removal of total PAHs, do significantly reduce the carcinogenic potencies associated with PAH emissions from batch HMA plants.

Urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene-Glucuronide as a Biomarker of Exposure to Various Vehicle Exhausts among Highway Toll-Station Workers in Taipei, Taiwan

In this cross-sectional study, the authors evaluated urinary 1-hydroxypyrene-glucuronide (1-OHP-gluc) as a potential biomarker of exposure to various traffic exhausts. Subjects were 47 female highway toll-station workers and 27 female office workers in training for toll-station employment in Taipei, Taiwan. The mean concentration of urinary 1 -OHP-gluc was 0.117 micromol/mol creatinine in the exposed group and 0.073 micromol/mol creatinine in the reference group (difference in mean concentrations: 0.044 micromol/mol creatinine [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.015, 0.072). In the lanes where tolls were collected from passenger cars, there was a significant relationship between cumulative traffic and 1-OHP-gluc concentration (i.e., average increase of 0.015 micromol/mol creatinine [95% CI: 0.003, 0.027] per 1,000 vehicles). The average increase for truck/bus lanes was similar to that identified for the car lanes (i.e., average increase of 0.011 micromol/mol creatinine [95% Cl: -0.024, 0.045] per 1,000 vehicles). The authors determined that exposure to various traffic exhausts increased the urinary concentration of 1-OHP-gluc in a dose-response pattern, which suggests that this chemical may be a useful biomarker for exposure to vehicle exhausts.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene as an indicator for assessing the exposures of booth attendants of a highway toll station to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

In this study, 32 booth attendants (the exposure group) and 21 in pre-job training to become booth attendants (the reference group) were randomly selected from a highway toll station. Personal PAH samplings were conducted on the exposure group on each day during the studied workweek. Pre-shift urinary 1-hydroxylpyrene levels (1-OHP) were measured on the first day of the workweek (BM(pre)) for both the exposure and reference groups, but the post-shift 1-OHP levels were measured on the last day of the workweek (BM(pest)) only for the exposure group. For the exposure group, we found that their mean total PAH exposure level (C(total PAHs)) was 11 400 ng/m3 and that their mean BM(post) was significantly higher than their mean BM(pre) (= 3.02 and 0.910 micromol of 1-OHP/mol of creatinine, respectively). In addition, the mean BM(pre) for the exposure group were higher than that for the reference group (= 0.410 micromol of 1-OHP/mol of creatinine). The above results suggest that vehicle exhaust significantly affects the booth attendants' 1-OHP levels. None of the three personal factors (age, work experience, and smoking habit), except for C(total PAHs), had a significant effect on predicting booth attendants' BM(inc) levels (= BM(post) - BM(pre)) (R2 = 0.57). The above results suggest that urinary 1-OHP could be a suitable biomarker for characterizing workers' PAH exposures. Similarly, we found that none of the three personal characteristics, except for the involved vehicle flow rates and vehicle types, had a significant effect on predicting booth attendants' BM(inc), levels (R2 = 0.60). The above result suggests that the traffic densities of various traffic types could be a suitable surrogate indicator for assessing workers' PAH exposures. Considering that the type of traffic designed for a given type of tollbooth is quite similar all over the world, the results obtained from this study, at least, could be served as a stepping-stone for providing a cheaper and convenient way for assessing traffic PAH exposures in the future.

Assessing the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the tollbooths of a highway toll station via direct and indirect approaches

The present study was set out to assess the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in three types of tollbooths at a highway toll station via direct and indirect approaches. Direct sampling results show that no significant difference could be found in the PAH homologue distributions for samples collected from the car lane/ticket-payment and car lane/cash-payment tollbooths, but both were significantly different from that for the bus/ truck lane tollbooth. The above results could be due to the former two types of tollbooths that were designed for the same type of traffic (i.e., cars and vans), but the latter was designed for a different type of traffic (i.e., buses and trucks). For any given type of tollbooth, the total-PAH content (C(Total-PAHs)) found during the day shift (= 9,370-15,500 ng/m3) were not significantly different from that found during the night shift (= 9,550-14,900 ng/m3), but both were significantly higher than that found during the late-night shift (= 5,560-11,100 ng/m3). During any given work shift we found C(Total-PAH5) for the three types of tollbooths as the following: bus/truck lane (= 11,100-15,500 ng/m3) > car lane/ticket-payment (= 7,260-13,500 ng/m3) > car lane/ cash-payment (= 5,560-9,550 ng/m3). After conducting multivariate regression analyses, we found that none of the three environmental factors (i.e., wind speed,temperature, and relative humidity), except for the vehicle flow rate (Q(Vehicle)) had a significant effect on C(Total-PAHs) for any given type of tollbooth. Considering directly measuring PAH contents was labor-consuming and costly, and the above results suggest the possibility of using Q(Vehicle) to predict C(Total-PAHs) for any given type of tollbooth. After conducting simple linear regression analyses, we found that (1) all resultant regression coefficients were found with positive values indicating that an increase in the Q(Vehicle) would lead to an increase in the C(Total-PHHs). (2) from the magnitude of the resultant regression coefficients indicating that an increase in C(Total-PAHs) caused by per unit Q(Vehicle) for the three types of tollbooths were the following: bus/truck lane > car lane/cash-payment > car lane/ticket-payment, and (3) the resultant R2 values fell to the 0.54-0.75 range indicating that the variations in C(Total-PAHs) could be explained well by Q(Vehicle) for the three types of tollbooths. It is concluded that measuring Q(Vehicle) can be regarded as an effective indirect method for estimating PAH contents in various types of tollbooths.