Institute of Mass Spectrometer and Atmospheric Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Online Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Institute for Environment and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China; Institute of Mass Spectrometer and Atmospheric Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Environ Pollut. 2018 Jul;238:452-461. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.03.054. Epub 2018 Mar 26.
The process-specific emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a petroleum refinery in the Pearl River Delta, China was monitored to assess the health risk from VOCs to workers of this refinery. Over 60 VOCs were detected in the air samples collected from various sites in the refining, basic chemical, and wastewater treatment areas of the refinery using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection. The health risks of VOCs to the refinery workers were assessed using US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) methods. Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis were implemented to assess the uncertainty of the health risk estimation. The emission results showed that C5-C6 alkanes, including 2-methylpentane (17.6%), 2,3-dimethylbutane (15.4%) and 3-methylpentane (7.7%), were the major VOCs in the refining area. p-Diethylbenzene (9.3%), 2-methylpentane (8.1%) and m-diethylbenzene (6.8%) were dominant in the basic chemical area, and 2-methylpentane (20.9%), 2,3-dimethylbutane (11.4%) and 3-methylpentane (6.5%) were the most abundant in the wastewater treatment area. For the non-cancer risk estimated using the US EPA method, the total hazard ratio in the basic chemical area was the highest (3.1 × 10), owing to the highest level of total concentration of VOCs. For the cancer risk, the total cancer risks were very high, ranging from 2.93 × 10 (in the wastewater treatment area) to 1.1 × 10 (in the basic chemical area), suggesting a definite risk. Using the ACGIH method, the total occupational exposure cancer risks of VOCs in the basic chemical area were the highest, being much higher than those of refining and wastewater treatment areas. Among the areas, the total occupational exposure risks in the basic chemical and refining areas were >1, which suggested a cancer threat to workers in these areas. Sensitivity analysis suggested that improving the accuracy of VOC concentrations themselves in future research would advance the health risk assessment.
本研究对中国珠江三角洲某炼油厂各区域空气中挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）的排放情况进行了监测，以评估该厂工人接触 VOCs 的健康风险。采用气相色谱-质谱/火焰离子化检测法，对炼油、基础化工和污水处理区的多个点位采集的空气样品进行了 60 多种 VOCs 的检测。利用美国环保署（USEPA）和美国工业卫生学家协会（ACGIH）的方法评估了 VOCs 对炼油厂工人的健康风险。采用蒙特卡罗模拟和敏感性分析评估了健康风险评估的不确定性。排放结果表明，C5-C6 烷烃（包括 2-甲基戊烷（17.6%）、2,3-二甲基丁烷（15.4%）和 3-甲基戊烷（7.7%））是炼油区的主要 VOCs。在基础化工区，对二乙基苯（9.3%）、2-甲基戊烷（8.1%）和间二乙基苯（6.8%）占主导地位，而在污水处理区，2-甲基戊烷（20.9%）、2,3-二甲基丁烷（11.4%）和 3-甲基戊烷（6.5%）含量最高。使用 USEPA 方法评估非致癌风险时，基础化工区的总危害比最高（3.1×10），这是由于 VOCs 总浓度最高。对于致癌风险，总癌症风险非常高，范围从污水处理区的 2.93×10（污水处理区）到基础化工区的 1.1×10（基础化工区），表明存在一定风险。使用 ACGIH 方法，基础化工区 VOCs 的总职业暴露致癌风险最高，远高于炼油和污水处理区。在这些区域中，基础化工和炼油区的总职业暴露风险>1，这表明这些区域的工人面临癌症威胁。敏感性分析表明，在未来的研究中提高 VOC 浓度本身的准确性将有助于推进健康风险评估。
