RESEARCH ARTICLE Effects of urbanization on gaseous and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in a coastal city, China: levels, sources, and health risks Youwei Hong 1,2,3 & Jinsheng Chen 1,2 & Fuwang Zhang 4 & Han Zhang 1,2 & Lingling Xu 1,2 & Liqian Yin 1,2 & Yanting Chen 1,2 Received: 21 January 2015 /Accepted: 26 April 2015 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015 Abstract Gas/particle distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in Xiamen from May 2009 to March 2010 to evaluate the impacts of urbanization on the fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the atmospheric environment. In a newly developing area (NDA), the concentrations of 16 PAHs (gas + particle) were significantly higher than that a historically urbanized area (HUA) (p value <0.05), while the trend of 28 PCBs was reversed. Diagnostic ratios and princi- ple component analysis (PCA) implied that atmospheric PAHs in the NDA were mainly derived from petrogenic combustion, including mixed sources of vehicle emissions, biomass burn- ing and oil combustion, while pyrogenic combustion (e.g., traffic and coal combustion) was considered the major source of PAHs in the HUA. Atmospheric PCBs in both HUA and NDA were dominated by TriCBs and PeCBs related to the use of commercial mixtures (Aroclors 1242 and 1254). Based on the toxicological equivalent factor (TEF) approach, total benzo[a]pyrene equivalent values in the HUA and NDA were 1.12 and 2.02 ng m -3 , respectively, exceeding the standard threshold values (1.0 ng m -3 ) of China and WHO. Average daily intake of dioxin-like compounds was 0.2 pg kg -1 day -1 in the HUA, which are below the WHO tolerable daily intake level. The results showed that the contribution to the toxic equivalency (TEQ) was dominated by PCB169, PCB105, and PCB81. Keywords PAHs . PCBs . Gas-particle distribution . Urbanization . Sources . Toxicological equivalent Introduction Air pollution has significantly increased cancer risks for hu- man health in recent years, particularly in some rapidly urban- izing and industrializing countries (Loomis et al. 2013; Loomis et al. 2014). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are two ubiq- uitous organic pollutants, receiving public and scientific con- cerns because of their carcinogenic, bioaccumulative, and long-range transport properties (Kim et al. 2013; Nasir et al. 2014). Thus, the diversity of sources and atmospheric process- es of these chemicals in response to urbanization should be well understood to better estimate their global cycle and po- tential health risks. PAHs originate from anthropogenic activities, including incomplete burning of fossil fuels and biomass, while PCBs are emitted from multiple sources (e.g., dielectric fluids, print inks, paints, and pesticides) into the atmosphere (Kim et al. 2013; Lehmler et al. 2010). Urban areas are generally consid- ered hot spots for atmospheric PAHs and PCBs contamination (Li et al. 2014; Liu et al. 2014; Zhang et al. 2007). Elevated PAH level in developed regions is caused mainly by auto Responsible editor: Constantini Samara * Jinsheng Chen jschen@iue.ac.cn * Han Zhang hzhang@iue.ac.cn 1 Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, People’ s Republic of China 2 Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station- NUEORS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315800, People’ s Republic of China 3 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA 4 Environmental Monitoring Center of Fujian, Fuzhou 350003, China Environ Sci Pollut Res DOI 10.1007/s11356-015-4616-2 Author's personal copy