Characteristics of indoor and outdoor Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in TSP in rural Northeast China: A case study of heating and non-heating periods

Approximately 91% of the world’s population lives in an air-polluted environment, and environmental pollution has become a widespread concern. Urban indoor and outdoor air pollution has been fully researched and effective control measures have been proposed. However, the issue of air pollution in rural areas has not been explored in depth. Compared to urban air pollution, the rural air pollution problem is more complex and urgent. Due to climatic factors and economic conditions in rural Northeast China, most households use solid fuels such as biomass straw and coal as domestic energy during the heating period, which will cause serious pollution problems of Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). To investigate the pollution characteristics of PAHs in indoor and outdoor TSP in rural Northeast China during the heating and non-heating periods, a medium-sized particulate matter collector 1108A was used to collect TSP for 7 days, and GC-MS was used to detect PAHs. The results showed that indoor TSP and PAHs pollution levels were the highest during the heating period. PAHs source analysis by Diagnostic Ratio (DR) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that the main sources were biomass and coal combustion, vehicle emissions, and domestic waste incineration. According to the results of carcinogenic risk model calculations, there is a potential carcinogenic risk to the population in the Northeast rural living area. This study reflects the pollution characteristics and sources of indoor and outdoor TSP and PAHs in rural Northeast China during heating and non-heating periods, and provides a reference for further prevention and control of air pollution in rural areas, which is conducive to improving the living environment and improving human health.