OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (11): 1539-1543.

• Treatise • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Pollution characteristics,source analysis,and health risk assessment of metal elements in ambient PM2.5 in Chengdu City

HU Yan, ZHAO Kui   

  1. Environmental Engineering and Evaluation CenterNo.203 Research Institute of Nuclear Industry,ShaanxiXi'an 710000, China
  • Received:2025-08-26 Revised:2025-09-08 Online:2026-06-01 Published:2026-06-10

Abstract:

Objective In order to achieve precise environmental prevention and control and protect human health,the pollution characteristics,source analysis and health risks of heavy metals in particulate matter(PM2.5) in Chengdu City were evaluated. Methods The 54 and 50 effective atmospheric PM2.5 samples were collected in December 2023 and April 2024 in Chenghua District of Chengdu City. The concentrations of 14 heavy metal elements(Al,As,Cd,Fe,Pb,etc) in PM2.5 were determined by Wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence(WDXRF). The sources of heavy metals were analyzed by enrichment factor method and positive matrix factorization(PMF),and the health risk of heavy metal was evaluated by risk assessment model. Results The total concentration of heavy metals in spring(10 843.8 ng/m3) was 1.5 times that of winter(6 896.6 ng/m3). Out of the measured heavy metal elements in PM2.5,Al,Mg,Fe,K and Zn exhibited the highest concentrations,collectively accounting for 67% in winter and 84% in spring. The enrichment factor(EF) of Cd was 1 113.4,which was heavily enriched. PMF source analysis showed that heavy metal elements in PM2.5 in winter and spring were mainly derived from traffic source,crustal sources,combustion source and industrial source. Health risk assessment analysis showed that the risk of carcinogenicity was significant,and the risk of non-carcinogenicity was low. The total carcinogenic risk and total non-carcinogenic risk of adults were 2.1 times that of children. The carcinogenic risk of As to adults was >10-4,indicating a carcinogenic risk,while the non-carcinogenic risk of As was also relatively high. Conclusion The Cd has the highest enrichment factor,and the carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk of As are higher,and certain measures should be taken to supervise the emission reduction of these two elements,such as metal smelting,alloy anti-corrosion industry,and coal combustion.

Key words: Particulate matter, Heavy metals, Enrichment factor, Positive matrix factorization, Health risk

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