Methodological approaches to processing laboratory results of ambient air quality monitoring for the purposes of human health risk assessment

Introduction: The problem of practical application of recommended methods of processing ambient air pollutant concentrations below the limit of detection in chemical analysis raises uncertainties in human health risk assessment. The Federal Clean Air Project has increased legal significance of the latter and the relevance of interdepartmental cooperation in air monitoring activities.

Objective: To review methodological approaches to handling ambient air quality test results and to develop proposals for uncertainty reduction in human health risk assessment.

Materials and methods: We analyzed ways of dealing with values of ambient air pollutant concentrations lying below the limit of quantification of various analytical chemistry methods proposed by the European Bureau for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control and Russian researchers. A human (population) health risk assessment was conducted based on air quality parameters obtained in 2020 within environmental and public health monitoring in the city of Omsk using averaged concentrations of airborne pollutants measured by different techniques in accordance with national guidelines R 2.1.10.1920–04.

Results: Different approaches to processing air quality test results produced different averaged pollutant concentrations accounting for health risk values ranging from the acceptable level to that of concern. Our estimates showed that certain techniques of quantitative chemical analysis of priority air contaminants are inappropriate for the purposes of human health risk assessment. Photometry, for instance, was found unacceptable for measuring ambient concentrations of formaldehyde to assess carcinogenic risks due to unreasonable overestimation of the latter.

Conclusions: We have proposed criteria for selecting appropriate methods of air quality testing based on estimated values of the lower limit of quantification of chemicals and for optimizing procedures of processing test results for correct assessment of health risks and harmonization of interdepartmental approaches.

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