Surveillance of long-term environmental elements and PM2.5 health risk assessment in Yangtze River Delta, China, from 2016 to 2020

PM 2.5 metal pollution significantly harms human health. The air quality in Wuxi is poor, especially in winter, and long-term monitoring of PM 2.5 elements comprising has not been performed previously. In the present study, 420 PM 2.5 samples were collected from January 2016 to December 2020. Eleven elements, including Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, As, Cd, Sb, Hg, Pb, Se, and Tl, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The mean PM 2.5 level was 56.1 ± 31.0 μg/m 3 , with a tendency of yearly decreasing and a significant seasonal distribution variation. The concentration of 11 elements in the PM 2.5 samples was 0.38 ± 0.33 μg/m 3 . Al was the highest element with a range of 37.5–2148 ng/m 3 . Meanwhile, the spatial distribution differences were compared by literatures review. Based on the Crystal Ball model, health risks were assessed dynamically using Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis. After 10,000 simulations, the mean value of the hazard index for nine elements was 0.743, and Mn contributed the most to the hazard index among elements, with a correlation of 0.3464. The average carcinogenic risk was 1.01 × 10 −5 , which indicated that the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were within the acceptable range. However, considerable attention should be paid to the potential health risks associated with long-term Al, Mn, and As exposure. This study provides detailed data on local atmospheric pollution characteristics, helps identify potential risk elements, and contributes to the development of effective regional air quality management.