Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Street Dust of Bushehr City, Iran: Status, Source, and Human Health Risk Assessment

This study identified concentrations, molecular distributions, toxicities, and sources of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in street dust from different land use of Bushehr city in southwest of Iran. For this purpose, 19 street dust samples were collected from different land use of the city and analyzed using GC–MS. Σ16PAHs (16 USEPA priority PAHs) concentrations ranged between 73.6 and 9491 µg kg⁻¹, with a mean of 1116.02 µg kg⁻¹. The high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs (4–6 rings), that make 65.22% of the total, were the dominant in almost all dust samples. In the northern part of the city, the concentration of PAHs especially HMW is high, reflecting high traffic density. PAH sources were identified statistically. It is demonstrated that the PAHs in Bushehr street dust are mainly petrogenic derived from traffic emission. A significant positive correlation coefficient also exists between the ∑PAH concentration and toxic equivalency concentration (TEQ). Estimated incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) results indicated that Bushehr residents are potentially exposed to a high cancer risk, especially via dust ingestion and dermal contact.