Abstract

Accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil had drawn increasing attention for their potential toxic effects on human health and ecological system. This work tried to probe into a possible link between the accumulation of PAHs in soil and a high incident of cancer at a plastic-manufacturing village in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, Southeast China. Eight soil samples were collected nearby two plastic-processing plants at the village. The samples were air dried and stored at 4 °C for chemical analyses. Sixteen monomers of PAHs in the samples, listed as the precedently controlled pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), were analyzed using the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A model of incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) specified by USEPA were used to assess their health risks. The total concentrations of precedent-controlled 16 PAHs in the soils are in a range of 2.3–366.4 ng g−1, with an average of 129.03 ng g−1. Those of seven carcinogenic PAHs are in a range of 0–123.9 ng g−1, with 58.46 ng g−1 on average. The concentrations of PAHs in the soils were much higher nearby the plastic-processing plants. The ILCRs of adults and children who are exposed to PAHs in the soil through oral intake and skin touch are in a range of 10−8 ~ 10−5. The soils nearby the plastic-processing plants have higher contents of PAHs. The PAHs are dominated by middle- and higher-ring monomers, suggesting the origin of high-temperature combustion. The ratios of specific monomers also indicated that PAHs in the soils mostly originate from plastic manufacturing. A cancer risk of adults from PAH exposure in the soil through oral intake and skin touch attains a potential level. That of children can never be ignored. It proves that a high incidence of cancer in the study areas is correlated with the industrial emissions of PAHs from the plastic plants.

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