Health damage to housewives by contaminants emitted from coal combustion in the Chinese countryside: focusing on day-to-day cooking

Purpose The study aimed to estimate the health damage and find out the main exposure pathways of housewives posed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) from coal combustion in rural areas of China. Methods We obtained the concentrations of 16 PAHs and 8 HMs from published literatures and the Monte Carlo simulation was used to process and analysis the data. Sensitivity analysis was also applied to clear parameter uncertainty and the health damage of housewives was quantitatively evaluated by loss of life expectancy. Results Housewives' carcinogenic risks from PAHs exposure were in descending order of inhalation > ingestion > dermal contact, while exposed to HMs were ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation. The carcinogenic risks from PAHs primarily originated from benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), dibenz[ah]anthracene (DahA) and benzo[b]fluorathene (BbF). For HMs, arsenic posed the highest carcinogenic risk to housewives, with a contribution of 92.98%. In addition, the life expectancy loss of housewives exposed to PAHs was 469.04 min from inhalation and 51.82 min for HMs from ingestion. Conclusion Through a comprehensive assessment of the health risks in housewives exposed to emissions from coal combustion, we can gain insight into the hazards from PAHs and HMs in housewives, and take measures to reduce their exposure risks.

Automated summary

By estimating the health damage and exposure pathways of housewives to PAHs and HMs from coal combustion in rural China, this study found that the carcinogenic risks from PAHs exposure were primarily from inhalation, while exposure to HMs posed higher risks through ingestion. Arsenic was identified as the heavy metal with the highest carcinogenic risk to housewives, contributing to 92.98% of the overall risk. Furthermore, the study quantitatively evaluated the life expectancy loss of housewives exposed to PAHs and HMs, providing valuable insights for reducing their exposure risks.