Coke production is an important source of environmental polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives. The focus near coking plants has primarily been on parent-PAH contamination, with less attention given to highly toxic derivatives. In this study, soil samples were collected from both within and outside of a coking plant. The concentrations of parent-PAHs and their derivatives, including methylated-PAHs, oxygenated-PAHs, and nitrated-PAHs, were examined. Spatial interpolation was employed to determine their spatial distribution patterns. Methods for identifying potential sources and conducting incremental lifetime cancer risk analysis were used. This could achieve a comprehensive understanding of the status of PAC pollution and the associated health risks caused by coke production. The concentrations of total PACs inside the plant ranged from 7.4 to 115.8 mg/kg, higher than those outside (in the range of 0.2 to 65.7 mg/kg). The spatial distribution of parent-PAH concentration and their derivatives consistently decreased with increasing distance from the plant. A significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) among parent-PAHs and their derivatives was observed, indicating relatively consistent sources. Based on diagnostic ratios, the potential emission sources of soil PACs could be attributed to coal combustion and vehicle emissions, while principal component analysis–multiple linear regression further indicated that primary emissions and secondary formation jointly influenced the PAC content, accounting for 60.4% and 39.6%, respectively. The exposure risk of soil PACs was dominated by 16 priority control PAHs; the non-priority PAHs’ contribution to the exposure risk was only 6.4%.

Recent advances in molecular diagnostics have highlighted the transformative potential of multi-protein response logic gates in enhancing sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection. However, logic gates based on multi-type nucleic acid responses remain underexplored. In this study, we present a dual-biomarker response platform that utilizes nucleic acid logic gates targeting miR-21 (microRNA-21) and lncRNA MALAT1 (metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1). Compared to traditional single-target methods, our platform effectively overcomes common challenges, such as expression variability and cross-reactivity, which are inherent in single biomarker approaches, thereby significantly improving both diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. This platform is based on rolling circle amplification (RCA) technology and incorporates two key components: a primer switch and a padlock probe switch. When miR-21 is recognized, a hairpin probe undergoes a shape change, releasing a primer that starts the RCA process. Simultaneously, a MALAT1-specific padlock probe forms a closed circular structure, which is necessary to activate RCA and increase signal detection. Furthermore, the RCA products contain G-quadruplex sequences that can bind to hemin, forming DNAzymes that produce an electrochemical signal. This strategy significantly enhances diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, demonstrating strong potential for early cancer detection and precision oncology.