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Potential hazardous elements (PHEs) in atmospheric particulate matter (APM) in the south of Xi’an during the dust episodes of 2001–2012 (NW China): chemical fractionation, ecological and health risk assessment

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Abstract

Atmospheric pollution from atmospheric particulate matter (APM) deposition is one of the major sources of potential hazardous elements (PHEs) contamination. In this study, 68 total APM samples were collected from the local areas of southern Xi’an (NW China) during the long-term period of the 2001–2012 dust campaign. The chemical fractionation of PHEs (Cr, Cu, Ba, Sr, As, Pb, and Zn), their contamination levels, and ecological health risk were examined. The mobility sequence based on the sums of the first three fractionations of the modified BCR (the European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction stages was: Cu (77.83 %) > Pb (74.50 %) > Zn (55.40) > Sr (52.93) > Ba (40.89) > Cr (30.09) > As (21.59). The contamination levels of APMs from these sites, calculated from the total content indices ICF, were uniformly moderate in degree. The obtained single-metal model MIMERSS (speciation index) values had allowed for classification of elements as a function of their potential ecological risk as As (64.00 mean value) > Pb (43.86) > Sr (37.50) > Cu (11.53) ≅ Ba (11.32) > Zn (7.68) > Cr (1.88). The results presented that the toxic As posed a moderate to considerable risk; Pb and Sr varied from low to a moderate risk, while others posed low risk. However, a new developed multi-metal model GRIIERMS (speciation index) indicated that the PHEs in most of the APMs posed moderate ecological risk. The result was consistent with that of ICF indexes. Combined with the US Environmental Protection Agency, we developed models of (ingestion, dermal and inhalation) hazard index (HI), children’s health risk due to PHEs exposure from APM was higher than that for adults. Much attention should be paid to the PHE As (HI = 0.864, close to 1) for children. While, carcinogenic risk for adults was higher than that for children. Although cancer risk because of As, Cr and Pb exposure were within an acceptable range, the PHEs exposed to the highest density of the population in residential and educational villages in south of Xi’an would be much more concerned. The moderate ecological risk and the higher risk for children’s health illustrated that special attention has to be taken to the mentioned PHEs from APMs in the local ecosystem, and their health risk impact should continue to be checked carefully. The new developed GRIIERMS index method was to be useful for risk assessment of PHEs combining with their chemical fractionations.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support was from Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (GK 200902024) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40971060 and 41030637) as well as Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province. The authors sincerely appreciate the 2007 Fellowship of Chemistry Department, Jackson State University, provided by Dr. Paresh Chandra Ray (Professor in Physical Chemistry, Jackson State University) and Dr. Hongtao Yu (Chair of Department of biochemistry, Jackson State University). The author is grateful to his PhD supervisor, Professor Dr. Chunchang Huang, for providing the collected APM samples of S2001–S2004. In addition, many thanks should be given to Editor-in-Chief, Dr. James W. LaMoreaux, scientific journal editors and many anonymous referees for previewing and English writing. Opinions in the paper do not constitute an endorsement or approval by the funding agencies and only reflect the personal research views of the authors.

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  1. Department of Environmental Science, College of Tourism and Environment, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 199 Chang’an South Street, Xi’an, 710062, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoping Li, Chunchang Huang & Xu Zhang

  2. Department of Law and Foreign Language, Shaanxi Police Professional College, Xi’an, 710043, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Linna Feng

  3. College of Chemistry and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Xiangyang Yan

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Li, X., Feng, L., Huang, C. et al. Potential hazardous elements (PHEs) in atmospheric particulate matter (APM) in the south of Xi’an during the dust episodes of 2001–2012 (NW China): chemical fractionation, ecological and health risk assessment. Environ Earth Sci 71, 4115–4126 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2800-6

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