PM2.5-bound PAHs in the indoor and outdoor air of nursery schools in Ha Noi, Viet Nam and health implication

Abstract

Thirty two daily indoor and outdoor PM2.5 samples at sixteen nursery schools in Ha Noi were taken from March to April 2018.15 individual PAHs were analyzed by GC/MS. Mutagenic potential (MP) and carcinogenic potential (CP) were used to evaluate carcinogenic and mutagenic risk contribution. The average PM2.5 concentrations were 38.7μg/m3 for indoor air and 93.3 μg/m3 for out door one, which exceeded WHO Air quality guideline (2004) for ambient air. The mean concentrations of indoor and outdoor 15PAHs were267.1ng/m3 and 843.4ng/m3, respectively. There was a good correlation between indoors and outdoors for both PM2.5 and PAHs. Indoor MEQ7PAHs was 41.4 ng/m3, whilst outdoor MEQ7PAHs was137.3 ng/m3. The mean level of indoor TEQ15PAH was 64.6 ng/m3, where as the outdoor TEQ15PAH was 208.8 ng/m3. Dibenz(a,h)anthracene (DahA) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were the most contributors among indoor and outdoor PAHs to the carcinogenicity and mutagenity.