Airborne lead levels in the Korean peninsula: characterization of temporal and spatial patterns and cancer risk analysis.
BACKGROUND
This study collected long-term airborne lead concentrations in the Korean peninsula and analyzed their temporal, spatial, and cancer risk characterization.


METHODS
Approximately, 12,000 airborne samples of total suspended particulate (TSP) were collected from 30 ambient air monitoring stations in inland (Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Seoul) cities and portal cities (Incheon, Busan, and Ulsan) over a period of 7 years (2004-2010). High volume air samplers were employed to collect daily TSP samples during the second week of the consecutive months throughout the entire study period. The concentrations of Pb extracted from the TSP samples were analyzed using either inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission or flame atomic absorption spectrometry.


RESULTS
The long-term high mean Pb concentrations were observed in the port cities including Incheon (88 ± 18 ng/m(3)), Ulsan (61 ± 7 ng/m(3)), and Busan (58 ± 6 ng/m(3)). In the temporal analysis, seasonal mean Pb levels were relatively higher in winter and spring than those in summer and fall. In the spatial analysis, the mean Pb levels in spring, winter, and fall from Incheon, which showed the highest seasonal concentrations except summer, were 110 ± 19, 101 ± 18, and 76 ± 23 ng/m(3), respectively. In summer, the highest seasonal mean Pb level was observed in the largest industrial city and the second port city, Ulsan (78 ± 15 ng/m(3)), followed by Incheon (65 ± 13 ng/m(3)).


CONCLUSIONS
The estimated excess cancer risk analysis showed that inhalation of Pb could result in cancer for one or two persons per million of population in the Korean peninsula.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 680-749, Republic of Korea.
Atilla
A
Mutlu
Byeong-Kyu
BK
Lee
D000388:Air / Q000032:analysis; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012621:Seasons; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
D000393:Air Pollutants; D007854:Lead