Ecotoxicological risk and health risk characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in terrestrial soils of King George Island, Antarctica

Abstract

We studied the concentrations, characteristics, ecological risk, and health risk of 12 probably carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in KGI soils of Antarctica. Measured concentrations of 12 PAHs ranged from 1.83 to 32.9 ng g−1 with an average of 11.9 ± 8.13 ng g−1. The assessment of ecological risks used methods that were based on total toxicity equivalency concentrations (TEQs) and a risk quotient (RQ), which can be used to sensitively and accurately assess ΣPAHs. The results indicated that PAHs in the soils of KGI presented a low risk level to living organisms in the soil and to plants. The low molecular weight PAHs presented a much greater ecological risk than high molecular weight PAHs in KGI soils, and the levels of these ecological risks were classified as low compared to those of previous studies in other areas. The total values of incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for children and adults were 2.34 × 10−8 and 1.73 × 10−8, respectively. Soil samples from KGI that were contaminated with PAHs still exhibited risks that were much lower than that of the baseline value. The results of this investigation provide a database for contamination evaluation, risk assessment of ecological and human health in PAH-contaminated sites.