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Peer-reviewedCC BYAir quality, atmosphere, & health

PAH-associated health risk from ultrafine particles: an urban field study.

  • Wei-Chung Su1
  • Jinho Lee2
  • Masoud Afshar3
  • Kai Zhang4
  • Inkyu Han5
5 affiliations
  1. 1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX USA.
  2. 2Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA USA.
  3. 3Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX USA.
  4. 4Department of Public Health, the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX USA.
  5. 5Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Barnett College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA USA.
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Abstract

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are airborne particulate matter with diameters less than 100 nm. UFPs present in urban atmospheres pose a significant public health issue because they usually carry harmful substances, including toxic metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Prolonged exposure to urban UFPs may result in cumulative deposition of these harmful substances in the human respiratory system, elevating the likelihood of adverse respiratory outcomes. Thus, studying UFP respiratory deposition is essential for assessing associated health risks. In this research, a set of field studies was conducted at three selected sampling sites to examine urban UFP exposure in the Greater Houston Area, Texas, USA. At each sampling site, UFP respiratory deposition measurements were performed using the Mobile Aerosol Lung Deposition Apparatus (MALDA). In addition, size-segregated UFP samples were collected and analyzed to identify and quantify harmful constituents associated with UFPs. The resulting data were used to estimate the deposited mass of PAH in human airways and to evaluate the corresponding health risks linked to urban UFP exposure. Overall, both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks associated with UFP-bound PAH in the Greater Houston Area were found to remain within acceptable levels.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{su2026pahassociated,
  title = {{PAH-associated health risk from ultrafine particles: an urban field study.}},
  author = {Wei-Chung Su and Jinho Lee and Masoud Afshar and Kai Zhang and Inkyu Han},
  journal = {Air quality, atmosphere, \& health},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1007/s11869-026-02118-x},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42871232},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - PAH-associated health risk from ultrafine particles: an urban field study.
AU  - Wei-Chung Su
AU  - Jinho Lee
AU  - Masoud Afshar
AU  - Kai Zhang
AU  - Inkyu Han
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
JO  - Air quality, atmosphere, & health
DO  - 10.1007/s11869-026-02118-x
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42871232
AB  - Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are airborne particulate matter with diameters less than 100 nm. UFPs present in urban atmospheres pose a significant public health issue because they usually carry harmful substances, including toxic metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Prolonged exposure to urban UFPs may result in cumulative deposition of these harmful substances in the human respiratory system, elevating the likelihood of adverse respiratory outcomes. Thus, studying UFP respiratory deposition is essential for assessing associated health risks. In this research, a set of field studies was conducted at three selected sampling sites to examine urban UFP exposure in the Greater Houston Area, Texas, USA. At each sampling site, UFP respiratory deposition measurements were performed using the Mobile Aerosol Lung Deposition Apparatus (MALDA). In addition, size-segregated UFP samples were collected and analyzed to identify and quantify harmful constituents associated with UFPs. The resulting data were used to estimate the deposited mass of PAH in human airways and to evaluate the corresponding health risks linked to urban UFP exposure. Overall, both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks associated with UFP-bound PAH in the Greater Houston Area were found to remain within acceptable levels.
SN  - 1873-9318
SN  - 1873-9326
ER  -