Impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on PM_2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Hohhot, Northern China: characteristics, sources, and source-specific health risks.

ABSTRACT: Quantifying the impacts of reduction strategies on PM_2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is essential for reducing the health risks of PM_2.5. The COVID-19 lockdown provided an opportunity to reveal the quantitative relationship between lockdown measures and the health risks of PAHs. In this study, the characteristics, sources, and health risks of PAHs were investigated during the COVID-19 lockdown in Hohhot. The source-specific health risks of PAHs were assessed using a combination of incremental lifetime cancer risk models (ILCR) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). Compared with the pre-LD period (pre-LD, 87.41 ± 5.98 ng·m^-3), the total concentration of ∑PAHs during the lockdown period (LD, 32.52 ± 2.31 ng·m^-3) decreased by 62

SUBMITTER: Ji K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11863873 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature