Human health risk assessment of airborne trace elements in Dhanbad, India

Trace element concentrations in PM10 were investigated for their distribution, source apportionment and health impact assessment in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. PM10 at ten monitoring stations were collected on glass fiber filters during March 2014 to February 2015 and the quantification of the trace elements was done by using ICP-OES. The results revealed relatively high average annual concentration of PM10 (216 +/- 82 mu g/m(3)) which is about 3.6 times the NAAQS (CPCB) and 10.8 times the WHO air quality guidelines. The highest concentration of PM10 was found during winter season (249 mg/m3) followed by summer (217 mg/m(3)) and post-monsoon (183 mg/m(3)). Among the trace elements Zn (4753 ng/m(3)) and Fe (3661 ng/m(3)) were observed with highest concentration. Enrichment factor analysis revealed very high enrichment of Zn and Cd, indicating their specific anthropogenic origin. From the results of principle component analysis, vehicular emissions (exhaust as well as non-exhaust), road dust resuspension, coal combustion and mine fire were identified as the foremost sources of PM10 in the study area. The potential health risks (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic) associated with different trace elements (for adults and children) were also estimated by using the concentration of concerned elements. Ingestion and inhalation were observed as the primary route of trace element exposure to humans. Multi elemental hazard index indicated integrated impacts of a mixture of elements especially in case of children. The carcinogenic risk assessment illustrated very high probability of cancer risk to the inhabitants in the area, especially in children (10-18 times higher than adults). (C) 2017 Turkish National Committee for Air Pollution Research and Control. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.