Rising Carcinogenic Risk from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure Through Indoor Settled Dust: First Comprehensive Residential Dust Assessment from India

Unveiling distribution and health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bound to PM2.5 in indoor and outdoor environments of urban primary schools

The results of the total carcinogenic risk for children aged 7–12 years in all schools caused by the presence of PAHs compounds in outdoor environments was acceptable and in some indoor environments, the values at certain schools exceeded the standard threshold of 10− 6-10− 4, indicating potential health risks.

Occurrence, sources, and health risk assessment of organophosphate esters in road dust and roadside soil from Tianjin, China.

Road dust and roadside soil samples were collected from industrial and residential areas of Tianjin, China, in summer and winter, and 14 representative organophosphate esters (OPEs) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to systematically investigate their concentrations, spatiotemporal variation, sources, and health risks. A markedly higher median concentration of Σ14OPEs was observed in road dust (189.78 ng/g) than in roadside soil (50.76 ng/g), and halogenated OPEs were predominant in both media. Industrial areas exhibited higher Σ14OPE levels compared to residential areas. Significant seasonal variation in OPE concentrations was observed only in roadside soil, with markedly higher levels in winter than in summer. OPEs in road dust mainly originated from industrial emissions (40.85%), other complex sources (23.19%), release from and abrasion of OPE-containing products (21.08%), and traffic emissions (14.88%), whereas the main source of OPEs in roadside soil was traffic emissions (35.38%), followed by indoor release from OPE-containing products (27.92%), release from these products combined with industrial activities (24.37%), and other sources (12.34%). Health risk assessment identified ingestion as the primary exposure route for humans, with children representing the most exposed population group. In all scenarios, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were acceptable overall, being below 1 and below 1×10-6, respectively. Risks associated with road dust were mainly due to industrial emissions and other sources of OPEs, whereas those linked to roadside soil were primarily attributed to indoor release of OPEs from OPE-containing products. Although the estimated health risks were within acceptable levels, the widespread occurrence and potential toxicity of OPEs warrant continued attention.

Comparative Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Levels in Indoor and Outdoor Air and Associated Inhalation Health Risks in Akpajo, Alesa and Aleto Communities, Eleme, Rivers State, Nigeria

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent semi-volatile organic contaminants generated mainly during the incomplete combustion of organic materials and petroleum-derived fuels. This study assessed PAH levels in indoor and outdoor air and estimated the associated inhalation health risks in Akpajo, Alesa and Aleto communities of Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria, an industrially and traffic-influenced area of the Niger Delta. Twelve 24-hour integrated air-sampling conditions were evaluated across three communities, two seasons (dry and wet) and two microenvironments (indoor and outdoor). Airborne particulate-bound PAHs were collected using a high-volume air-sampling approach, solvent-extracted with dichloromethane:n-hexane (1:1, v/v), concentrated and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Method quality control included internal-standard calibration, field and method blanks, duplicate checks, surrogate recovery assessment, blank correction, and limits of detection and quantification. Statistical analysis was based on descriptive statistics, including range, arithmetic mean, pooled congener totals, community means, seasonal means and indoor-outdoor means. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 7.40 µg/m³ in Alesa wet-season indoor air to 30.55 µg/m³ in Aleto dry-season outdoor air. The mean total PAH concentration was highest in Aleto (21.41 µg/m³), followed by Akpajo (11.80 µg/m³) and Alesa (10.39 µg/m³). Dry-season air had a higher mean total PAH concentration (18.18 µg/m³) than wet-season air (10.88 µg/m³), while outdoor air (15.75 µg/m³) exceeded indoor air (13.32 µg/m³). Anthracene, pyrene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, naphthalene, fluorene and phenanthrene were the dominant contributors to the pooled PAH burden. Non-detected high-molecular-weight PAHs were reported as below the method detection limit rather than as true zero values. Screening-level risk assessment showed that children had higher estimated lifetime average daily dose and incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk than adults under the same sampling conditions. The highest child ILCR occurred in Aleto dry-season outdoor air (4.12E-04), while several child-risk estimates exceeded 1.00E-04, indicating potential concern under the assumptions used. The findings indicate measurable PAH contamination, higher dry-season burden and greater screening-level risk estimates for children. Routine monitoring, emission reduction, dust control and targeted public-health communication are recommended.

Indoor Dust Investigation in Homes from Istanbul, Türkiye: Household Conditions, Heavy Metals, and Health Risk of PTEs

Widespread occurrence of volatile methyl siloxanes in settled dust from three regions in Vietnam: Geographical variations, indoor-outdoor differences, and human exposure assessment.

Human health risk assessment of heavy metal pollution in airborne dust from Zakho City, Iraq