Carcinogenic Activity and Risk Assessment of PAHs in Ambient Air: PM10 Particle Fraction and Bulk Deposition

Abstract

This paper present seasonal variation in the equivalent concentration (BaPeq) of PAHs in order to assess the potential cancer risk for two different groups of residents via ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation pathways. The possible ecological risk caused by PAH atmospheric deposition based on risk quotient was also estimated. A bulk (total, wet and dry) deposition and PM10 particle fraction (particles with an equivalent aerodynamic diameter < 10 µm) were collected from June 2020 to May 2021 at an urban residential location in the northern part of Zagreb, Croatia. The monthly average of total equivalent BaPeq mass concentrations of PM10 varied from 0.057 ng m−3 in July to 3.656 ng m−3 in December; the annul ∑BaPeq average was 1.348 ng m−3. In bulk deposition, ∑BaPeq mass concentrations varied from 1.94 to 57.60 ng L−1. In both investigated media, BaP had the highest contribution in carcinogenic activity. For PM10 media, dermal absorption implied the greatest potential cancer risk, followed by ingestion and inhalation. For bulk media, a moderate ecological risk for BaA, BbF and BaP was observed according to the risk quotient approach.