Pollution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils of Guangzhou

In order to comprehensively study the pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） in soils of Guangzhou, 222 topsoil samples were collected and analyzed. The ecological risk of soil PAHs pollution was evaluated using the effect interval low/median method （ERL/ERM） and the （BaP） toxicity equivalent method, and the health risk of soil PAHs pollution was evaluated using the lifelong cancer risk increment model. The source of PAHs was analyzed using the characteristic compound ratio method and PMF model. The results indicated that: the content of surface soil （∑16PAHs） in Guangzhou was 38-11 115 μg·kg-1, with an average of 526 μg·kg-1, and 16 types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon monomers showed strong variation. There was a certain degree of ecological risk of PAHs in Guangzhou, and there was already a significant ecological risk of PAHs pollution in individual sampling points, which were generally in a state of mild pollution. Based on the results of the health risk assessment, the contribution rates of total cancer risk in both adults and children were presented as follows: skin contact > ingestion of soil > respiratory intake. The health risk of children was greater than that of adults, and the overall health risk was within an acceptable range. Source analysis showed that the main sources of soil PAHs in Guangzhou were coal （37.1%）; diesel （32%）; coking （17.3%）; and mixed sources of traffic emissions, biomass combustion, and petrochemical product volatilization （13.6%）. The overall source of soil PAHs belonged to mixed sources. The research results have enriched our understanding of the pollution status of PAHs in the surface soil of Guangzhou and are helpful in promoting soil pollution prevention and control actions. © 2024 Science Press. All rights reserved.