Characterization and Carcinogenic Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Respirable Fraction of Airborne Particles in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area

Abstract

In this study, the characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in airborne particles equal to or less than 10 µm (PM10), collected from the Bangkok urban air, were investigated. Sixteen PAHs content in PM10 were simultaneously measured. High molecular weight PAHs (four-, five-, and six-ring) were more abundant in airborne particles (91.7% of total PAHs) than those of low molecular weight PAHs (two-, and three-ring). Further, 71.4% of the total PAHs found in the study sites are potentially carcinogenic PAHs. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was a prominent carcinogenic compound for PAH mixtures found in the area. Correlation analysis revealed that there is a close correlation between the concentration of carcinogenic PAHs and amount of PM10. This is due to their absorptivity property on the surface of the particles. In this study the lifetime lung cancer risk was estimated from the seven carcinogenic PAHs using the toxicity equivalent factor (TEF). The probable number of lung cancer cases in Bangkok Metropolitan was estimated at 27 cases/year. The concentration of carcinogenic PAHs found in Bangkok city in 2002/2003 is comparable to values in many other cities.

PM10 and Its Chemical Composition: A Case Study in Chiang Mai, Thailand

“…The carcinogenic ratios of all sites found in this study were higher than those found in roadsides of the inner part of Bangkok from November 02 to April 03 (Norramit et al, 2005) (Table 7). This reveals that our study sites presented higher concentrations of carcinogenic PAHs but lower PM 10 contents in comparison to the Bangkok area.…”

“…However, the concentrations found in this study were obviously lower than those found in Bangkok and Pathumthanee, even under the same category (roadside area) (Boonyatumanond et al, 2007;Norramit et al, 2005;Chetwittayachan et al, 2002;Kim Oanh et al, 2000), but the values were similar to the rural area (Boonyatumanond et al, 2007) and the general area (Chetwittayachan et al, 2002) as is shown in Table 7. This is attributed to the transport pattern and the traffic volume that exist near the sampling site.…”

“…This fact should be noted and brought into the attention of relevant authorities for subsequent air quality management. (Norramit et al, 2005) 28.6 71.4 1.0 : 2.5 Table 6. Ratios of non-carcinogenic to carcinogenic PM 10 -bound PAHs…”

Coking wastewater treatment plant as a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the atmosphere and health-risk assessment for workers

“…Several PAH species have been classified into probable (2A) or possible (2B) human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, 1987). The carcinogenic potency associated with exposure of a given PAH compound can be obtained by calculating its BaP toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ BaP ) according to the toxic equivalent factor (TEF) (Norramit et al, 2005). The list of TEF BaP compiled by Tsai et al (2004) was adopted in this study (Table 4).…”

Biodegradation of Certain Polycyclic Hydrocarbons with Paenbacillus alvei and Penicillum restricum

“…The investigations on the composition of PAHs found in several contaminated areas revealed that contamination is the result of a mixture of PAHs, rather than a single type of contaminant (Norramit et al, 2005;Thavamani et al, 2011). PAHs continuously increase and accumulate in the soil and water, due to the human activities that cause the emissions of these contaminants into the environment every day, and thus appropriate treatment is required to reduce the concentration and toxicity of these .…”