Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to Indoor Dusts Contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Case Study: Office Buildings in Isfahan Metropolis, Iran

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with their teratogenicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenic characteristics can pose health risks for humans. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the content and health risk assessment of PAHs in indoor dust samples of some office buildings in city of Isfahan in 2023. In so doing, a total of 84 indoor dust samples were collected from 28 sampling stations. After extraction of the analytes, the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method was used to determine the PAHs concentrations in the dust samples. Based on the results obtained, 16 priority PAHs were detected and quantified in the dust samples. The mean values of ∑16PAHs were found to be 9838 µg/kg. Total incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) of children and adults with average values of 1.06E-01 and 9.36E-02, were both classified in the 'high critical value' category. The cancer risk levels via dermal contact (5.89E-02) and direct ingestion (4.72E-02), indicated that both pathways greatly contributed to the cancer risk for children. Similarly, the risk value of dermal contact (5.99E-02) and direct ingestion (3.37E-02) were found to be important routes that adults could be exposed to contaminated dust with PAHs. Accordingly, the mean values of ILCRs ranked in the following order: dermal contact > direct ingestion > inhalation for both cases (i.e., children and adults). In conclusion, to maintain the health of both the man and the environment, it is recommended that regular and periodic analyses of these pollutants in different environmental matrices including soil, sediment, indoor and outdoor dusts, particulate matter, air, and water be performed to help prevent exposure risks of PAHs.