Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals in mosquito coil and coil ash: are the concentrations alarming?

Abstract

Unmanaged mosquito coil ash could be regarded as a possible source of metal and PAHs contamination in households but such risk is generally overlooked. To address this issue, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals were estimated in the bottom ash of a few popular mosquito coils marketed in India. The detected concentration range of individual PAHs in coil ash samples was 8 (benz(a) anthracene and acenapthylene) to 2925 ng g -1 ash (phenanthrene) while metal concentration ranged from 0.3 (As) to 28,366 µg g -1 ash (Fe). Metal concentration ranged from 0.1 (Cd) to 3193.0 (Fe) µg g -1 in the unburnt coils. There was substantial magnification in metal concentration in coil ash over coil. The study indicated that mosquito coil ash could be an important source of metal and PAH contamination in households and hence should be carefully managed.