title: Barbecue Fumes: An Overlooked Source of Health Hazards in Outdoor Settings?
abstract: Barbecuing or charcoal-grilling has become part of popular outdoor recreational activities nowadays; however, potential human health hazards through outdoor exposure to barbecue fumes have yet to be adequately quantified. To fill this knowledge gap, atmospheric size-fractioned particle and gaseous samples were collected near an outdoor barbecuing vendor stall (along with charcoal-grilled food items) in Xinjiang of Northwest China with a 10-stage micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor and a polyurethane foam (PUF) sampler and were analyzed for particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Exposure to PAHs through inhalation and dermal contact by adult consumers who spent 1 h per day near a charcoal-grilling vendor for a normal meal (lunch or dinner) amounted to a BaP equivalent (BaPeq) dosage of 3.0-77 ng day(-1) (inhalation: 2.8-27 ng day(-1) of BaPeq; dermal contact: 0.2-50 ng day(-1) of BaPeq), comparable to those (22-220 ng day(-1) of BaPeq) from consumer exposure through the consumption of charcoal-grilled meat, assumed to be at the upper limit of 50-150 g. In addition, the potential health risk was in the range of 3.1 × 10(-10) to 1.4 × 10(-4) for people of different age groups with inhalation and dermal contact exposure to PAHs once a day, with a 95% confidence interval (7.2 × 10(-9) to 1.2 × 10(-5)) comparable to the lower limit of the potential cancer risk range (1 × 10(-6) to 1 × 10(-4)). Sensitivity analyses indicated that the area of dermal contact with gaseous contaminants is a critical parameter for risk assessment. These results indicated that outdoor exposure to barbecue fumes (particularly dermal contact) may have become a significant but largely neglected source of health hazards to the general population and should be well-recognized.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Chen-Chou
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Lian-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Jinan University , Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Air Quality Research Division, Environment Canada , 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada.
authors.forename: Shao-Meng
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou 510640, China.|School of Environment and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Jinan University , Guangzhou 510632, China.
authors.forename: Eddy Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000032:analysis; D002606:Charcoal / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020405:Dermis / Q000187:drug effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D005390:Fires; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D002606:Charcoal; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene