%0 Journal Article
%T Congener specific distribution and health risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls in urban soils
%A Bhupander Kumar
%A Sanjay Kumar
%A Chandra Shekhar Sharma
%J Journal of Xenobiotics
%D 2012
%I PAGEPress Publications
%R 10.4081/xeno.2012.e10
%X Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were primarily used in transformers and capacitors, lubricants, flame retardants, plasticizers, paint, carbonless papers, etc. These are capable of long-range atmospheric transport and have been designated as persistent organic pollutants by the Stockholm Convention. Due to their characteristic properties, PCBs are found worldwide in all environmental matrices (including human) and biota. Soils are usually considered to be the source as well as sink for environmental pollutants, with cumulative effects of long-range atmospheric transport and local sources. Around the world, comparatively higher concentrations of PCBs have been reported in urban soils than suburban or rural soils. Higher amount of PCBs in urban soils may cause toxicological health risks to urban residents through ingestion, inhalation and skin contact. This paper presents the PCB distribution in soils from Delhi, India, and exposure risk estimates for human health through soil ingestion. The concentration of 曳PCBs ranged between 1.08-100.67 ng g每1 (mean 21.16 ng g每1㊣5.24 ng g每1), which was much lower than the Canadian soil quality guideline value of 1.3 mg/kg or 1300 ng g每1. Human health risk estimates through the soil ingestion pathway were made in terms of lifetime average daily dose (LADD), incremental lifetime cancer risks and non-carcinogenic hazard quotient (HQ). The LADD for Delhi adults and children was 3.02x10每8 mg kg每1 d每1 and 1.57x10每7 mg kg每1 d每1, respectively, which corresponds to toxic equivalent quotients (TEQ) intake of 0.105 pg TEQ kg每1 d每1 (0.735 pg TEQ kg每1 week每1) and 0.543 pg TEQ kg每1 d每1 (3.801 pg TEQ kg每1 week每1), respectively. The estimated LADD for Delhi residents was lower than the acceptable intake values recommended by the World Health Organization (1 pg TEQ kg每1 d每1), the European Commission (14 pg TEQ kg每1;1 week每1) and by the Japanese government (4 pg TEQ kg每1 d每1). The probability of cancer risk ranges from 6.04x10每8 (曳PCBs) to 1.57x10每5 (曳TEQ) and 3.13x10每7 (曳PCBs) to 8.15x10每5 (曳TEQ) for adults and children, respectively, and was within acceptable ranges of 10每6 to 10每4. The non-carcinogenic risk in terms of health HQ was 0.105 and 0.330 for adults and children, respectively, which was lower than the acceptable limit of 1. The study found lower concentrations of PCBs than guideline values and low health risk estimates through the soil ingestion pathway within acceptable levels, indicating a minimum risk for Delhi residents.
%K polychlorinated biphenyls
%K urban soil
%K risk assessment
%K lifetime average daily dose
%K health hazard quotient.
%U http://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/xeno/article/view/510