Phase distribution and probabilistic risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in indoor air of coffee shops at Zahedan, Iran
Shahnaz Sargazi,
Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei,
Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush,
Ramin Saravani,
Mohammad Javad Zare Sakhvidi,
Hossein Fallahzadeh,
Ali Asghar Ebrahimi
Affiliations
Shahnaz Sargazi
Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei
Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush
Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Ramin Saravani
Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Mohammad Javad Zare Sakhvidi
Occupational Health Research Center, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Hossein Fallahzadeh
Center for Healthcare Data Modeling, Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Ali Asghar Ebrahimi
Environmental Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; Corresponding author.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of hydrocarbons, some of which are established human carcinogens. Human exposure to these chemicals is complex and originates from both indoor and outdoor sources. This study measured the concentration of PAHs in the gaseous and particulate phases during the cold months of 2022 using XAD-2 sorbent tubes and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters in the indoor air of coffee shops in Zahedan, Iran (n = 23). The average concentrations of particulate-bound PAHs and gaseous PAHs were 13,411.86 ± 6517.24 ng/m³ and 6432.76 ± 4311.72 ng/m³, respectively. Source apportionment analyses indicated that the primary sources of PAHs in coffee shops were fossil fuel combustion and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), commonly referred to as second and third-hand smoke. The lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) of inhaled PAHs was calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The mean LTCR for adults and children from inhaling these substances were 9.43 × 10-6 ± 5.06 × 10-6 and 5.34 × 10-6 ± 2.87 × 10-6, respectively. The hazard quotient (HQ) of PAHs exceeded 1. These findings highlight the need to reduce PAHs exposure in public spaces through proper health warning labels and regulated indoor smoking policies.
