Source apportionment and spatial distribution of heavy metals in atmospheric settled dust of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Atmospheric settled dust study was conducted with the purpose of to determine the source of heavy metal elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in airborne dust from Ulaanbaatar using the multivariate analysis and spatial distribution mapping by geographic information system (GIS) with the systematic grid. A total of 57 dust samples were collected from the impervious surfaces at 2-4 m above the ground in January of 2020. The mean concentrations of heavy metals were increasing order of Co-10.4 ± 1.3 mg/kg > As-16.5 ± 5.9 mg/kg > Ni-21.3 ± 3.3 mg/kg > Pb-51.7 ± 26.4 mg/kg > Cu-65.5 ± 23.6 mg/kg > Cr-70.2 ± 18.7 mg/kg > Zn-571.3 ± 422.8 mg/kg. In terms of multivariate analysis, we used Pearson's correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (CA). Three principal components, which are eigenvalues higher than 1, were determined accounting for 70.5% of the total variance by PCA. As a result, PC1 38.5% (As, Cr, Cu, and Ni), PC2 17.3% (Pb and Zn), and PC3 14.7% (Co and Pb) are attributable to coal combustion, vehicle exhaust emission, and resuspension of soil particles, respectively. The results of correlation analysis and CA were fairly in agreement with PCA. The spatial distribution maps of heavy metals were revealed in the downtown in which 40 covered sampling sites with about 700m intervals. In the spatial distribution mappings, generally, the southern part of the mapping area was higher concentrations of heavy metals. An increment of heavy metals concentration was presented for As, Cr, Co, and Ni with their similar trend in the southwestern part of the mapping. Besides, another trend for the distribution of the high concentrations of Cu and Zn was observed in the south and southeast parts. In terms of Pb, it had no noticeable pattern of distribution; however, a high spot was presented in the southwest part of the map.

Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Soil of the Ger District in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate human health and potential ecological risk assessment in the ger district of Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. To perform these risk assessments, soil samples were collected based on reference studies that investigated heavy element distribution in soil samples near the ger area in Ulaanbaatar city. In total, 42 soil samples were collected and 26 heavy metals were identified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods. The measurement results were compared with the reference data in order to validate the soil contamination level. Although there was a large difference between the measurement results of the present and reference data, the general tendency was similar. Soil contamination was assessed by pollution indexes such as geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor. Mo and As were the most enriched elements compared with the other elements. The carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks to children exceeded the permissible limits, and for adults, only 12 out of 42 sampling points exceeded the permissible limit of noncarcinogenic effects. According to the results of the ecological risk assessment, Zn and Pb showed from moderate to considerable contamination indexes and high toxicity values for ecological risk of a single element. The Cr and As ranged as very high ecological risk than that of the other measured heavy metals.

Mobile Measurement of PM2.5 Based on an Individual in Ulaanbaatar City.

In the present study, we measured fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on the daily route of our study participant in order to determine her exposure and dose of PM2.5 in every microenvironment (ME). The measuring instrument, created by Nagoya University and Panasonic Corporation, Japan, was carried close to the breathing zone most of the time. Each data point was collected for 10-30 s or 2-6 cycles/min for 24 h from 1 October 2018 to 30 December 2018. Public transportation showed the highest level of PM2.5 compared with other MEs, including residence apartments, houses (ger district), the National University of Mongolia (NUM), food courts or restaurants, and other indoor locations. The personal daily average exposure to PM2.5 was 35 µg/m3 on 4 November 2018; on the other hand, this value was evaluated as the highest level of exposure compared to other measurement days. Interestingly, the study participant's exposure and dose of PM2.5 was lower than those stated in the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines, with 25 µg/m3 from 4:00 to 7:00.

Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Soil of Major Cities in Mongolia.

Using the case of Ulaanbaatar, Erdenet, and Darkhan cities from Mongolia, the study aimed to assess the contamination level and health risk assessment of heavy metals (As, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Zn) in urban soil. A total of 78 samples was collected from a variety of functional areas. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and integrated pollution index (IPI) were used in pollution assessment, while the health risk was scored using a hazard quotient (HQ) and health index (HI) for non-carcinogenic heavy metals, as well as a lifetime average daily dose (LADD) for carcinogenic heavy metals. The results show that the concentration of heavy metals in the soil samples taken from Darkhan city, which presented "uncontaminated" values in terms of Igeo for all metals, was relatively lower than other cities within the contamination assessment. Furthermore, the Igeo value signified "uncontimated to heavily contaminated" soil in the Ulaanbaatar and Erdenet cities. Typically, as for the IPI that observed similar trends with Igeo, the mean IPI values in Ulaanbaatar, Erdenet, and Darkhan were 1.33 (moderate level of pollution), 1.83 (moderate level of pollution), and 0.94 (low level of pollution), respectively. In terms of the assessment of potential health risk, there was a particular or different level of ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation exposure pathway for human health. Among these three different pathways, the ingestion was estimated by the main contributor for health risk. Each value of HQ and HI indicated that soil heavy metals of studied cities were at a safe level (<1) or had the absence of a significant health risk there. In addition, the potential health risk for children was greater than for adults, where heavy metal values of HI for children had a high value compared to adults. We estimated carcinogenic risks through the inhalation exposure, and as a result, there were no significant risks for human health in the studied cities from three elements (As, Cr, and Ni).

Sources and Characteristics of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ambient Total Suspended Particles in Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia.

The purpose of this study was to identify pollution sources by characterizing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from total suspended particles in Ulaanbaatar City. Fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were measured in total suspended particle samples collected from different sites, such as the urban center, industrial district and ger (Mongolian traditional house) areas, and residential areas both in heating (January, March), and non-heating (September) periods in 2017. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration ranged between 131 and 773 ng·m-3 in winter, 22.2 and 530.6 ng·m-3 in spring, and between 1.4 and 54.6 ng·m-3 in autumn. Concentrations of specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as phenanthrene were higher in the ger area in winter and spring seasons, and the pyrene concentration was dominant in late summer in the residential area. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in the ger area were particularly higher than the other sites, especially in winter. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ratios indicated that vehicle emissions were likely the main source at the city center in the winter time. Mixed contributions from biomass, coal, and petroleum combustion were responsible for the particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution at other sampling sites during the whole observation period. The lifetime inhalation cancer risk values in the ger area due to winter pollution were estimated to be 1.2 × 10-5 and 2.1 × 10-5 for child and adult exposures, respectively, which significantly exceed Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

Evaluating the management effectiveness of protected areas in Mongolia using the management effectiveness tracking tool.

The importance of management increases in the context of numerous and intensive inner and outer pressures on Protected Areas (PAs). The need to assess the management effectiveness (ME) in protected areas is increasing around the world. The ME assessment helps to improve the management of PAs and to develop a rational, long-term action plan. This study was conducted using the World Wildlife Fund for nature (WWF) Management Effectiveness Tracking Tools methodology (METT) to evaluate the ME of six PAs in central and eastern regions of Mongolia. The main purpose of this study was to assess ME and identify common threats of PAs across different natural zones and administrative areas in Mongolia. The results of this evaluation indicate that, the main threats faced by PAs in Mongolia are: (i) degradation of ecosystems, (ii) environmental pollution, and (iii) habitat fragmentation, resulting from over-exploitation and inappropriate use of natural resources. All six PAs examined have clear management goals and management decision-making systems however, their ME scores differ significantly. This research suggests that the administrative features of the individual PA influence management effectiveness and problems in the efficient implementation of management still need to be resolved.