Atmospheric PAHs in rural, urban, industrial and beach locations in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina: sources and health risk assessment

ANDRÉS H. ARIAS; KARLA POZO; ALVAREZ, MÓNICA; NORMA TOMBESI

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2021

0269-4042

The first atmospheric PAHs levels and associated inhalation cancer risk wereassessed over southwest Buenos Aires region by deploying PUF disk PAS samplers.Eight sampling location included coastal zones, touristic beaches, and rural inlandareas were considered. PUF disks were fortified with surrogate standards andextracted by automated Soxhlet prior to GC-MS analysis. Σ 16 PAHs ranged from1.13 to 44.5 ng m -3 (10.3±9.8), while urban locations showed up to 10 times higherPAH levels than rural or beach locations. Direct sources of PAHs, such as intensivevehicle traffic, heating, and general combustion activities, were identified. PAHs withfour to six rings (46.62%) were predominantly Flt, Pyr, BbF, and BkF, and carcinogenicrisk was expressed by BaP (0.10±0.07 ng m -3 ) and BaPTEQs (0.26±0.22 ng m -3). Inhalation ECR (2.23E-5, WHO) presented the lowest risk at beach locations.Molecular ratios and PCA showed a strong dominance in pyrolytic sources, such asbiomass and coal combustion, with a particular signature in fires at inland locations.Overall, this study demonstrated that PUF disk passive air sampling provided a soundand simple approach for tracking air PAHs, their sources and public health risks,bringing a cost-effective tool for pollution control measures, even at small and remote towns. This is particularly relevant in extensive countries with medium or low income,such as Argentina.