Health risk assessment of inhalation and dermal exposure to particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of e-waste dismantling workers in Buriram province, Thailand

Abstract

This research mainly studied on the inhalation and dermal exposure concentrations of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) that e-waste burning workers probably received during their work and further estimated the health risk assessment in both route of exposure. According to the obtained results, the total concentrations of PAHs on PM₂.₅-₁₀ ranged from 0.0703 to 20.9800 μg/m³. For PM₂.₅, the total concentrations of PAHs varied from 0.2669 to 89.9645 μg/m³. In the dermal dust samples, the total concentrations of PAHs on the particles before burning work ranged from 8.1072 to 253.6118 mg/kg with the average concentration at 95.3894 mg/kg. For the samples of dust after finish burning work, the total concentrations of PAHs varied from 117.5432 to 4,315.9496 mg/kg and the mean concentration was 1,187.9897 mg/kg. Also, the average concentration of PAHs on the dust after hand washing was 309.9614 mg/kg and the range of values varied from 109.1063 to 876.9778 mg/kg. Regarding to the risk assessment results, the life time cancer risk (LCR) of PM₂.₅-₁₀ bounded PAHs at 95% CI ranged from 3.44 x 10⁻⁷– 1.98 x 10⁻⁵, and 95% CI cancer risk for PAHs in PM₂.₅ ranged from 2.02 x 10⁻⁵ - 6.71 x 10⁻⁴. The total inhalation LCR, which was the summation of both two inhalation LCR, at 95% CI ranged from 2.75 x 10⁻⁵ to 8.00 x 10⁻⁵ with 90.91% unacceptable risk. Furthermore, the LCR at 95% CI of the workers exposed to PAHs in dermal dust before burning work, after finish burning work, and after hand washing ranged from 1.32 x 10⁻⁶–2.62 x 10⁻⁶, 1.25 x 10⁻⁴- 2.85 x 10⁻⁴, and 2.07 x 10⁻⁵- 4.22 x 10⁻⁵, respectively. Lastly, the multi route cancer risk, which was the combination of total inhalation LCR and dermal LCR after finish burning work, at 95% CI ranged from 1.74 x 10⁻⁴ to 3.74 x 10⁻⁴ with 100% unacceptable risk, which necessarily should be concerned.