Health risk assessment of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for the population living near to the Tarragona chemical industrial site Evaluación del riesgo asociado a la exposición de hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos en la salud de la población residente alrededor del complejo químico de Tarragona Avalia o de risco por exposi o a hidrocarbonetos aromáticos policíclicos na saúde da popula o residente ao redor do complexo químico de Tarragona

One of the most important chemical industrial sites of Spain and, indeed, of southern Europe is close to the city of Tarragona and its surrounding villages. Therefore, the aim of this study was to calculate the chronic risk by inhalation of 18 atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) for the population living in municipalities close to this chemical site. The sampling campaign was conducted between June 2008 and June 2009, and around 50 air samples were collected during different meteorological periods, in each of the three sampling sites selected for this study. Samples were taken for 24 h with the simultaneous collection of the particle phase (total suspended particles) on quartz microfiber filters, and the gas phase on polyu- rethane foam cartridges. The PAHs were extracted by pressurized liquid extraction and determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For calculating inhalation risk assessment, the 18 PAHs were expressed as benzo(a)pyrene equivalents using toxic equivalency factors. Risk was then calculated taking into account the World Health Organization (WHO) unit risk of 8.7 lung cancer cases per 100,000 people, with an exposure of 1 ng m-3 of benzo(a)pyrene over a lifetime of 70 years. The average lifetime lung cancer risk of the global study was 1.2·10-4. This risk is higher than the values recommended by the WHO and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), but it is lower than the threshold of 10-3, which is considered to be a definite risk. La ciudad de Tarragona y sus alrededores conviven con la actividad industrial de uno de los complejos más importantes de Espa a y del sur de Europa. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido evaluar el riesgo crónico por inhalación de 18 hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos (HAP) en la población residente en los municipios ubicados alrededor de este complejo. Para el estudio se eligieron tres municipios y en cada uno de ellos se recogieron alrededor de 50 muestras desde junio de 2008 a junio de 2009. En cada muestra se captó, simultáneamente y durante 24 horas, la fase particulada (partículas totales en suspensión, PST) en filtro de fibra de cuarzo y la fase gaseosa en cilindros de espuma de poliuretano. Los HAP se extrajeron con diclorometano mediante extracción presurizada y se cuantificaron utilizando cromatografía de gases-espectrometría de masas. Para estimar el riesgo por inhalación a los HAP, primero se expresaron los 18 HAP como equivalentes de benzo(a)pireno utilizando factores de toxicidad equivalente, y posteriormente se aplicó el factor de riesgo, definido por la Organizac