Atmospheric chemistry and cancer risk assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs over a semi-arid site in the Indo-Gangetic plain

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 317; p. 115456
• Main Authors: Verma, Puneet Kumar, Sah, Dinesh, Satish, Rangu, Rastogi, Neeraj, Kumari, K. Maharaj, Lakhani, Anita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2022
• Subjects: Dual model; Gas-particle partitioning; Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk; Koa model; Nitro-PAHs; PAHs; Pankow model; ILCR; Pankow model; Gas-particle partitioning; PAHs; Nitro-PAHs; Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk; Koa model; Dual model
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115456

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs were collected over a year at a traffic dominated site in Agra, to determine the dominant partitioning mechanism. During the entire sampling period, total PAHs and Nitro-PAHs were 3465 ± 3802 and 26.1 ± 25.9 ng m−3 respectively. The gas-particle partitioning behavior of PAHs was studied by applying the Pankow model, Absorption model, and Dual model. Amongst all the partitioning models, the Dual model fits well and indicates that the partitioning of PAHs at the traffic site in Agra depends on both the physical adsorption of PAHs on the Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) surface and absorption of PAHs into the organic layer present on the TSP surface. Pankow model indicates that PAHs are emitted from the source close to the sampling point and due to this PAHs do not get enough time to get partitioned in between both the phases. Incremental lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) shows that adults and children are more prone to cancer risk in comparison to infants for both PAHs and Nitro-PAHs. Cancer risk by inhalation was minimum in comparison to both ingestion and dermal exposure. Nitro-PAHs in the particulate phase were high enough to exceed the minimum permissible limit (10−6) of causing cancer by ingestion and dermal exposure. [Display omitted] •Levels of ∑16 PAHs in gas phase and particulate phase were 806 ± 1511 and 2658 ± 2925 ng m−3 respectively.•Local sources including vehicular emissions, coal and biomass combustion were the main PAH emission sources.•Gas-particle partitioning is governed by both absorption and adsorption processes.•ILCRs were >10−6 and potential carcinogenic risk should be given attention.