Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Indoor Dust in Croatia: Levels, Sources, and Human Health Risks

Ivana Jakovljević, Marija Dvoršćak, Karla Jagić and Darija Klinčić ()
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Ivana Jakovljević: Environmental Hygiene Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Dvoršćak: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Karla Jagić: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Darija Klinčić: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Compounds that contribute to indoor pollution are regularly investigated due to the fact that people spend most of their time indoors. Worldwide investigations have shown that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in indoor dust, but to the best of our knowledge, this paper reports for the first time the presence of PAHs in Croatian households. Eleven PAHs were analysed in house dust samples collected in the city of Zagreb and surroundings (N = 66). Their possible indoor sources and the associated health risks were assessed. Total mass fraction of detected PAHs ranged from 92.9 ng g −1 to 1504.1 ng g −1 (median 466.8 ng g −1 ), whereby four-ring compounds, Flu and Pyr, contributed the most. DahA was the only compound that did not show statistically significantly positive correlation with other analysed PAHs, indicating that it originated from different sources. Based on diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis (PCA), mixed sources contributed to PAHs levels present in Croatian households. Although our results indicate that Croatian house dusts are weakly polluted with PAHs, total ILCR values calculated for children and adults revealed that people exposed to the highest mass fractions of PAHs measured in this area are at elevated cancer risk.

Keywords: PAHs; house dust; HPLC; carcinogenic risk assessment; ILCR (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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