Prediction of health risk due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in urban air in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Risk assessment can provide a comprehensive estimate of potential effects of contaminants under specific, well-defined, and well-described circumstances, providing quantitative relationships between exposure and effects to identify and to define areas of concern. We investigated the mutagenic activity of particulate matter in air samples collected from three sites in Rio de Janeiro city. Samples were collected using a high-volume sampler at Avenida Brasil, at Campus of Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, and at Rebouças Tunnel. Six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and the derivative strains TA98/1.8-DNP 6 , YG1021, and YG1024, Health risk in urban airborne in Rio de Janeiro commonly used in mutagenicity assays, were treated (10-50 µg/plate), with and without exogenous metabolization. The highest values for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected at Rebouças Tunnel. For chrysene, as an example, the concentration was nearly 200 times higher than that established by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Frequent traffic jams can place bus drivers who go through the Rebouças Tunnel at risk of exposure to up to 0.69 ng/m 3 benzo(a) pyrene. Independent of exogenous metabolization, mutagenicity was detected in strains YG1021 and YG1024 at all the sites, suggesting nitro and amino derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Rebouças Tunnel air samples gave the highest values for rev/µg and rev/m 3 . This could be due to the fact that the long, enclosed passageway through a mountain restricts ventilation. The cancer risk estimate in this study was 10 -3 for the benzo(a)pyrene, at the two sites, indicating a high risk.

Seasonal variations in the level of mutagenicity: an assessment of respirable particulate matter in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Critical air pollutants, such as PAHs and PM, increase during the dry season and decrease during the rainy season [8]. In 2010, we conducted a monitoring study at three sites of the city of Rio de Janeiro: the campus of the Rio de Janeiro State University, Avenida Brasil and Rebouças tunnel [9,10]. In these studies we detected values for PM2.5 that exceeded the values established by the World Health Organization [11] at all three sites.…”

“…Site 3 has heavy traffic (~190,000 vehicles/day). It connects the north and south zones of the city and is 2.8 km long [9,10].…”

“…In these studies we detected values for PM2.5 that exceeded the values established by the World Health Organization [11] at all three sites. Furthermore, mutagenicity was detected in the organic extract of PM2.5 for Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 and derivatives with sensitivity to nitro compounds [9,10].…”

“…To study the influence of seasonal variations on the mutagenic activity of PM samples, we analyzed samples collected between November 2010 and May 2011 at the same sites and compared them with the data from our previous studies [9,10].…”

Genetic Polymorphisms and the Risk of Lung Cancer in Tunnel Workers in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

“…Rebouças tunnel showed the highest concentrations of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs), and the highest mutagenicity values for Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 and its derivatives, YG1021 and YG1024, both sensitive to nitro-compounds [29], [30]. Our group conducted a biomonitoring study with Rebouças tunnel workers, in which significantly higher frequencies of MN were detected in binucleated lymphocytes and in cells of the buccal mucosa, besides higher concentrations of 2-naphthol and 1-hydroxyprene [31].…”