Globalization-Driven Industry Relocation Significantly Reduces Arctic PAH Contamination

• Main Authors: Lulu Lian (409210), Tao Huang (110613), Xianmin Ke (11840391), Zaili Ling (3351866), Wanyanhan Jiang (11840394), Zhanxiang Wang (775482), Shijie Song (534095), Jixiang Li (2262418), Yuan Zhao (336512), Hong Gao (68166), Shu Tao (230490), Junfeng Liu (306749), Jianmin Ma (290694)
• Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Cell Biology; Genetics; Ecology; Developmental Biology; Science Policy; Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; southeast asia resulted; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; polar region induced; many air pollutants; developed continents proximate; related bap contamination; increased bap contamination; pah pollution industries; bap ); “ north; two well; toxic congener; minor compared; inventories within; interregional trade; industry relocations; global trade; emission sources; depositions across; attenuated sources; atmospheric levels; atmospheric concentrations; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05198.s001

Industry relocation under globalization has altered the origins and strength of emission sources of many air pollutants. We develop global emission inventories of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) embodied in the production and consumption of goods and services. We implement these inventories within a global atmospheric transport model and simulate spatial–temporal changes in atmospheric concentrations of benzo­[α]­pyrene (BaP), the most toxic congener in unsubstituted PAHs, and depositions across the Arctic subject to global trade and industry relocation. We show that interregional trade and industry relocation dramatically reduce the atmospheric levels and deposition of BaP in the Arctic. The most significant BaP decline occurs in the European and North American Arctic regions due to attenuated sources in the two well-developed continents proximate to the polar region induced by the relocation of high-PAH pollution industries to many developing countries far from the Arctic. Although BaP emissions embodied in industry relocations in China, India, and South and Southeast Asia resulted in increased BaP contamination in the Asian Arctic, such increases in pollution are minor compared to significant BaP reductions occurring in the European and North American Arctic regions. We find that “North-to-South” industry transfer could reduce trade-related BaP contamination by 60% in the Arctic.