Characterization and health risk assessment of nine polychlorinated biphenyls in settled dust of residential buildings in a Middle Eastern area

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are 209 persistent organic compounds with various applications in chemical, electrical and commercial industries. However, there is considerable evidence of environmental accumulation and potential adverse health effects of this compound. In this study, 40 indoor dust samples were randomly taken from Shiraz houses for the analysis of 9 PCB congeners (PCB-18, 28, 31, 44, 52, 138, 153, 189, 194). The dust samples were extracted with 100 ml dichloromethane/n-hexane/acetone in a Soxhlet appliance for 18 h and then analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that Σ9PCB were in the range of <dl – 9.31 ng/g and PCB-52, 31 and 28 were the predominant congeners. Moreover, houses with laminate floors had higher Σ9PCBs levels than the houses with ceramic floors. The hazard quotient (HQ) values for children and adults' exposure to 9 PCBs through ingestion route were lower than 1, indicating no adverse non-carcinogenic risk. Also, the incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) values were lower than 10−6 in low-risk and high-risk scenarios for the both age groups, which showed negligible carcinogenic risks arising from exposure to the analyzed PCBs. More studies focusing on biomonitoring and bioavailability approaches are recommended for future investigation to provide total intake of people to this pollutant from all routes of exposure.