| Title: | "Spatial gradients of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air, atmospheric deposition, and surface water of the Ganges River basin" |
| Author(s): | Sharma BM; Melymuk L; Bharat GK; Pribylova P; Sanka O; Klanova J; Nizzetto L; |
| Address: | "Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Brno 62500, Czech Republic. Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Brno 62500, Czech Republic. Electronic address: melymuk@recetox.muni.cz. Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Sector-50, Gurgaon, Haryana 122018, India; The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India. Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Brno 62500, Czech Republic; Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalleen 21, Oslo 0349, Norway" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.262 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1026 (Electronic) 0048-9697 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous semi-volatile organic pollutants. Their environmental occurrence is of global concern as some of them are carcinogens, mutagens, and teratogens. In this study, concentrations and distributions of 16 priority PAHs ( summation operatorPAHs) were measured in air, atmospheric deposition, and surface water at various locations in Himalayan, Middle, and Lower Reaches of the Ganges River, covering a spatial transect of 2500km, during two seasons (pre-monsoon and monsoon). The concentration of summation operatorPAHs ranged between 2.2 and 182.2ngm(-3) in air, between 186 and 8810ngm(-2)day(-1) in atmospheric deposition, and between 0.05 and 65.9ngL(-1) in surface water. Air concentrations were strongly correlated with human population density. In the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Ganges River, atmospheric PAHs were mainly attributed to fossil fuel combustion sources. In the Himalayan Reach the influence of forest fire or biomass combustion was evident during the dry pre-monsoon season. Seasonality in concentrations of PAHs in river water was evident in the Himalayan Reach of the river, as a probable consequence of climate-modulated secondary source intensity (i.e. releases from glacier melting). Seasonality faded in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Ganges where water contamination is expected to mainly reflect anthropogenic primary sources. Ambient air concentrations were used to calculate the probabilistic incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR). It was expectedly found to be higher in the Middle and Lower Reaches compared to the Himalayan Reach. The strong correlation between population density and air concentrations suggests population density may be used as a surrogate variable to assess human health risk in data-sparse regions such as the Ganges River basin" |
| Keywords: | Ganges River Health risk assessment PAHs Source identification Urbanization; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINESharma, Brij Mohan Melymuk, Lisa Bharat, Girija K Pribylova, Petra Sanka, Ondrej Klanova, Jana Nizzetto, Luca eng Netherlands 2019/03/13 Sci Total Environ. 2018 Jun 15; 627:1495-1504. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.262. Epub 2018 Feb 20" |
