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Updated: Dec 2, 2025
Whole-Body Nanoparticle Aerosol Inhalation Exposures
Published on: May 7, 2013
Size distributions of source-specific risks of atmospheric heavy metals: An advanced method to quantify source
Yingze Tian1, Yixuan Li1, Yongli Liang1
1State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Ambient Air Particulate Matter Pollution Prevention and Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Abstract:
Heavy metals in size-segregated particulate matter (PM) were investigated in a Chinese megacity, and an advanced model was developed to quantify source-specific risks focusing on size-segregated respiratory exposure. Incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and non-cancer risk (hazard quotient: HQ) based on deposition concentrations of heavy metals displayed a peak at 4.7-5.8 µm. The percentage contributions to cancer risk were as follows: industrial emission (IE, 34%) > secondary and transport (ST, 29%) > resuspended dust (RD, 21%) > coal combustion (CC, 11%) > traffic emission (TE, 4%) during spring and summer (SS), and CC (31%) > ST (26%) > IE (21%) > RD (11%) ≈ TE (11%) during autumn and winter (AW). RD (41% of HQ during SS, 28% during AW) and IE (45% of HQ during SS, 35% during AW) dominated non-cancer risk. ILCR and HQ of CC were high at sizes 1.1-2.1 µm and 0.43-0.65 µm; those of RD were high at sizes > 3.3 µm; and those of IE were bimodal at fine (<2.1 µm) and coarse (>2.1 µm) sizes, respectively. Cancer risk was more susceptible to small particles than non-cancer risk, partly because higher ILCR was from CC, but higher HQ was attributed by RD.
