Emissions monitoring and carcinogenic risk assessment of PM 10 -bounded PAHs in the air from Candiota’s coal activity area, Brazil

The city of Candiota contains a great amount of coal resources. Coal activities, including coal combustion, are major releasers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The PAHs are considered priority air pollutants regarding their large carcinogenic potential. So, the carcinogenic risk assessment of populations living near areas with PAH sources is mandatory. This study aimed to evaluate the carcinogenic health risk of the PAH inhalation exposure of individuals living in Candiota City. A total of 158 individuals were enrolled in the study. Monitoring of PAH and meteorological parameters were carried out, and the health risk assessment was determined through the benzo(a)pyrene equivalent toxic equivalent quotient (BaP-TEQ) and the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) estimation. The coal activity area of Candiota demonstrated an annual PAH concentration of 27.7 ng/m 3 , PM10 concentration of 26.3 µg/m 3 , SO 2 concentration of 9.5 µg/m 3 , a BaP-TEQ value of 0.3 ng/m 3 , and a daily inhalation of 62.4 ng/day. The comparison among seasons showed no difference in PAH concentration and BaP-TEQ. It was observed ILCR values of 2.8 × 10 –6 and 2.6 × 10 –6 for estimation based on reference and real values, respectively, and these levels were above the reference limit of 10 –6 , indicating cancer risk. Therefore, an epidemiological survey of cancer cases in the region and its relationship with environmental exposure and air pollutants levels must be required.