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. 2022 Aug 11;194(9):665.
doi: 10.1007/s10661-022-10297-0.

Characteristics of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor PM2.5 of households in the Southwest part of Ulaanbaatar capital, Mongolia

Tsend-Ayush Sainnokhoi  1   2 , Nora Kováts #  3 , András Gelencsér  4 , Katalin Hubai  3 , Gábor Teke  5 , Bolormaa Pelden  6 , Tsagaan Tserenchimed  6 , Zoljargal Erdenechimeg  7 , Jargalsaikhan Galsuren  7
Affiliations

Characteristics of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor PM2.5 of households in the Southwest part of Ulaanbaatar capital, Mongolia

Tsend-Ayush Sainnokhoi et al. Environ Monit Assess. .

Abstract

Air pollution, including PM2.5 concentration in Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia) is a serious matter of concern. As the majority of households use coal in large areas of the city, indoor air quality is also posing a serious risk to human health. This study investigated the concentration of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs) in indoor particulate matter (PM2.5) in 10 non-smoker households. Sampling was conducted in winter of 2018, between 27 January and 09 February. Concentrations of PM2.5 in the indoor air of households ranged between 62.8 and 324.8 µg m-3. Total concentration of PAHs also varied in a relatively wide range, between 46.2 and 175.7 ng m-3. Five-ring PAHs represented a considerably high fraction of total PAHs between 25 and 53%, benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were the two predominant compounds within five-ring PAHs. Significant correlation was found between indoor and outdoor particulate matter levels in wintertime. Considering individual characteristic PAHs, heavier PAHs homologues (4- to 5-ring and 6-ring PAHs) were detected in all households, which suggested the influence of coal combustion and traffic exhaust. Health risk of children attributed to PAHs inhalation was assessed by taking into account the lifetime-average daily dose (LADD) and corresponding lifetime cancer risk. Lifetime average daily dose for children in only one household were slightly higher than health-based guideline level (1.0 × 10-5), defined by WHO, whereas LADD for adults and children of other households were within acceptable limit. The cancer risks from the exposure of children to air pollutants in all households except HH-3 were found high. In the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition assay, according to the toxic unit (TU) values of indoor PM2.5 from ten households, all samples were classified as toxic.

Keywords: Bioassay; Cancer risk; Ecotoxicity; Indoor air quality; PM2.5; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Ulaanbaatar.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Map showing the sampling area within Khan-Uul district, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Total amount of different molecular weight PAHs in households
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Percentage contribution of different molecular weight PAHs in the households
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Correlation between concentrations of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 in the winter period
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
a Cross-plot of BaA/(BaA + Cry) ratio vs. Flt/(Flt + Pyr) in ten households. b Cross-plot of Ind/(Ind + BghiP) ratio vs. Flt/(Flt + Pyr) in ten household.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Toxic equivalence factor (TEF) and calculated BaP equivalent (BaPeq) exposure value for the household indoor PM2.5 air
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
The toxic unit values of an indoor PM2.5 from ten household
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Dendogram of different households based on the individual PAH concentrations, TU, and indoor PM2.5 concentrations
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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