Relation between personal exposure and outdoor concentrations of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during smog episode

Objectives: To our knowledge this is the first study measuring personal exposure to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs) bound to airborne particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) in periods of high air pollution (smog episode) in which citizen were tracked. Methods: Measurements were performed in industrial regions of the Czech Republic: Ostrava, Karviná, Havířov. The city of Prague served as a control. Personal monitoring was conducted by active personal monitors for 48 hours. Non-smoking city policemen from Prague, Karviná and Havířov, office workers from Ostrava city and volunteers from Ostrava-Radvanice and Bartovice participated in the study (N = 214). Results: The average personal exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) was highest in Ostrava (17.2 ng/m³), followed by Karviná, Havířov, Radvanice and Bartovice, and Prague (14.2, 12.0, 9.3, and 2.8 ng/m³, respectively). We tested for association between the personal exposure to cPAHs and various health-related factors extracted from the questionnaires, including lifestyle factors and day-to-day activities. Conclusions: Exposure to outdoor cPAHs, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), commuting, and time spent indoors (in restaurants, workplace or home) were found to be the main determinants of the personal exposure. Daily cPAHs measurements in highly polluted areas are needed for evaluating the personal exposure and to avoid its underestimation resulting from stationary monitoring.