Evaluation of Non-Carcinogenic Risk of Pb, Cd, and As in Air Suspended Particles of Baharestan City, Isfahan

Entrance of heavy metals into the respiratory system has adverse effects on human health. Accordingly, measuring metals concentration in places and times is necessary. This study was done to evaluate the non-carcinogenic risk of Pb, Cd, and As in air suspended particles of Baharestan city, in Isfahan, during 2016 - 2017. In order to evaluate the non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals in air suspended particles (PM10), sampling was performed using a SKC pump with a low volume (1.5 L/min) and 37 mm membrane filter. Sampling was carried out on average every three days during 24-hours in May - June, July - August, October - November, and January - February; finally, the concentration of Pb, Cd, and As was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS), respectively. The acute and chronic non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals sorption in the air was evaluated using the EPA method. The highest and lowest Pb concentration belonged to May - June and October - November, with the mean concentration of 0.25 and 0.14 mg/kg, respectively. For Cd it was 0.017 and 0.009 mg/kg, respectively. Similar results were found for the air suspended particles. The highest and lowest Cd non-carcinogenic risk was observed for permanent residents of Baharestan city and the non-dormitory students of this city with the mean of 3.1 × 10-5 and 1.4 × 10-5, respectively. The results of this study showed that the non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals was lower than the standard level during the study years. However, heavy metal accumulation can threaten human health, which needs more consideration.