title: Levels, sources, and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Brno, Czech Republic: a 5-year study.
abstract: This work aimed to determine the seasonal variations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in airborne PM10at two background sites (Masná-MS, Líšeň-LN) in Brno over a 5-year period (2009-2013). Samples were collected on quartz filters using a low-volume sampler by continual filtration. Concentrations of PAHs in collected PM10samples were determined using a gas chromatography with a mass spectrometer as a detector. A different number of PAHs were determined to be at each site, i.e., 11 PAHs at the MS site and six PAHs at the LN site, and similarities between them were identified using non-parametric analysis of variance. Potential sources were identified using principal component analysis (PCA) and PAHs diagnostic ratios. The work also focused on health risk assessment. This was estimated using toxic equivalent factors to calculate individual lifetime cancer risk, which quantifies risk of exposure to PAHs for specific age groups. The average 11-PAH concentrations in M|S site annually ranged from 19.28 ± 19.02 ng m-3(2011) to 40.37 ± 21.35 ng m-3(2013). With regard to the LN site, the average six-PAH concentrations annually ranged from 3.64 ± 3.87 ng m-3(2009) and 5.27 ± 6.19 ng m-3(2012). PCA and diagnostic ratios indicate the main sources to be traffic emissions and coal combustion. Health risk assessment showed carcinogenic risk under limit value in all cases.
authors.affiliation: Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2, 616 69, Brno, Czech Republic. bulejko@lptap.fme.vutbr.cz.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bulejko
authors.affiliation: Department of Risk Engineering, Institute of Forensic Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 464/118, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vladimír
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Adamec
authors.affiliation: Department of Risk Engineering, Institute of Forensic Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 464/118, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Barbora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schüllerová
authors.affiliation: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Brno Regional Office, Kroftova 2578/43, 616 67, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Skeřil
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D018153:Czech Republic; D004782:Environmental Health; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: Factor analysis; Health risk; Particulate matter; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Traffic emissions