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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have carcinogenic impacts on human health. However, limited studies are available on the characteristics, sources, and source-specific health risks of PM

Systemic inflammation is a key mechanism in the development of cardiovascular diseases induced by exposure to fine particles (particles with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm [PM

Ten nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nPAHs) and 4 oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (oPAHs) in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples from Mount Tai were analyzed during summer (June to August), 2015. During the observation campaign, the mean concentration of total nPAHs and oPAHs was 31.62 pg/m3 and 0.15 ng/m3, respectively. Two of the monitored compounds, namely 9-nitro-anthracene (9N-ANT) (6.86 pg/m3) and 9-fluorenone (9FO) (0.05 ng/m3) were the predominant compounds of nPAHs and oPAHs, respectively. The potential source and long-range transportation of nPAHs and oPAHs were investigated by the positive matrix factorization (PMF) method and the potential source contribution function (PSCF) methods. The results revealed that biomass/coal burning, gasoline vehicle emission, diesel vehicle emission and secondary formation were the dominant sources of nPAHs and oPAHs, which were mainly from Henan province and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Bohai sea. The incremental life cancer risk (ILCR) values were calculated to evaluate the exposure risk of nPAHs and oPAHs for three group people (infant, children and adult), and the values of ILCR were 7.02 × 10−10, 3.49 × 10−9 and 1.41 × 10−8 for infant, children and adults, respectively. All these values were lower than the standard of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM 2.5 ) is the main air pollutant in many countries. PM 2.5 levels vary substantially over time and short distances, which directly affects the interpretation of data collected from reference stations. Although such data are usually accurate for one location at a certain time, they cannot be extrapolated to carry out complete spatial and temporal PM 2.5 assessment. China’s varying geographies, climates and environment make it challenging to accurately measure ambient air PM 2.5 levels. This paper describes the current state of PM 2.5 pollution and standard/specifications of monitoring in China, reviews all available PM measurement techniques, highlights the advantages and limitations of the most widely used instruments, and discusses the related challenges. Based on our analysis of PM 2.5 measurements, we suggest some ways to improve this measurement in China. In particular, suitable instruments need to be developed to accommodate different environments, climates and pollution levels across China. However, it is important to note that monitoring is merely a way to measure pollution levels, and not the main purpose of our research. The final purpose we have is creating a healthy and comfortable living environment for China’s residents.