Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; Instrumental Analytical Chemistry and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen, Germany.
Environ Res. 2021 Jan;192:110339. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110339. Epub 2020 Oct 14.
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and their associated microcontaminants have been linked to increased harmful effects on the human health. In this study, the possible relationships between PM, microplastics (MPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in an urban area of Bushehr port, in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. Presence, sources, and health risks of MPs and PAHs in both normal and dusty days were also investigated. The median of PM and ƩPAHs were 52.8 μg/m and 14.1 ng/m, respectively, indicating high pollution levels especially in dusty days. The mean level of MPs in urban suspended PM was 5.2 items/m. Fragments were the most abundant shape of identified MPs and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the most plastic types in urban dust of Bushehr port. The results revealed that PM and MPs may possibly act as a carrier for airborne MPs and PAHs, respectively. In addition, the significant positive relationships between MPs, wind speed and wind direction, confirmed that the MPs transportation were highly controlled by atmospheric condition. Moreover, the source identification methods and trajectory analyses indicated that petrogenic sources from both proximal and distal origins play an important role in the level of PAHs. The results of chronic health risk evaluation via inhalation revealed that PM-bound PAHs had high potential cancer risk in winter, while, the estimated risks for non-carcinogenic PAHs were not considerable. In the case of MPs, the assessment of human intake of MPs via inhalation highlighted the possible risks for habitants.
细颗粒物 (PM) 及其相关的微污染物暴露已被证明与人类健康的有害影响增加有关。在这项研究中，分析了波斯湾北部布什尔港市区内 PM、微塑料 (MPs) 和多环芳烃 (PAHs) 之间的可能关系。还研究了正常和扬尘天气中 MPs 和 PAHs 的存在、来源和健康风险。PM 和∑PAHs 的中位数分别为 52.8μg/m 和 14.1ng/m，表明污染水平很高，尤其是在扬尘天气。城市悬浮 PM 中 MPs 的平均水平为 5.2 个/米。碎片是识别出的 MPs 中最丰富的形状，而聚酯纤维（PET）是布什尔港城市灰尘中最常见的塑料类型。结果表明，PM 和 MPs 可能分别作为空气中 MPs 和 PAHs 的载体。此外， MPs 与风速和风向之间的显著正相关关系证实， MPs 的运输高度受大气条件控制。此外，来源识别方法和轨迹分析表明，来自近端和远端的生源源对 PAHs 水平起着重要作用。通过吸入进行的慢性健康风险评估的结果表明，冬季 PM 结合的 PAHs 具有高潜在致癌风险，而对于非致癌 PAHs 的估计风险则不高。就 MPs 而言，通过吸入评估人类摄入 MPs 可能会对居民造成风险。
