Cancer risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soil and sediments of Iran: a systematic review study

Abstract

Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants containing several hydrocarbon rings affecting human health according to the published monitoring data. Most of these compounds can be absorbed by the soil and sediments due to the abundance of production resources of these compounds in the soil around the cities and sediments of the Iranian coast. Cancer risk assessment (CRA) is one of the most effective methods for quantifying the potentially harmful effects of PAHs on human health. In this study, the published papers that monitored PAHs in Iran’s soil and sediments were reviewed. The extraction of different data and their equivalent factors were performed according to BaP equivalent, which is the main factor for calculating CRA of PAHs. The highest concentrations of PAHs were found in the sediments of Assaluyeh industrial zones (14,844 μg/kg), Khormousi region (1874.7 μg/kg), and Shadegan wetland (1749.5 μg/kg), respectively. Dermal exposure to sediments was 96% in adults, and 4% in children, and ingestion exposure to sediment was 99% in adults and 99.2% in children. Children dermal exposure to soil was 53%, and the accidental exposure to soil was 47%. In adults, dermal exposure to soil was 96% and the accidental exposure was 4%. The results of the present study indicated a significant, the carcinogenic risk of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in sediments of southern regions and soils of central regions of Iran is significant.