Blood Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Children of Lucknow, India

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds with two or more fused benzene rings produced by incomplete combustion of organic substances involved in natural and anthropogenic processes. Children are exposed to these compounds through inhalation, dietary ingestion, and, also, soil at the playground. It has been well established that PAHs have carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic effects. Considering possible health risks due to PAHs exposure among children, the present study was carried out in collaboration with the Pediatrics Department, King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, to determine its exposure in children by estimating blood PAHs levels. Due to the variable composition of PAHs mixtures emitted from different environmental sources, any single compound or metabolite may not be representative of all exposure conditions. For these reasons, the measurement of blood PAHs levels as a possible biomarker, especially of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency, USA) priority list, has been proposed. Acenaphthylene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene were determined by HPLC-FD/UV. On the basis of the individual compound, the median (50th percentile) of naphthalene (19 ppb) was highest, however, benzo(a)pyrene (4.0 ppb) level was found to be lowest among all detected PAHs. The median level of total noncarcinogenic PAHs (113.55 ppb) was higher than the total carcinogenic PAHs (32.35 ppb) in blood samples of children. A significant correlation was found between period of time spent in the surrounding breathing zone of the cooking place and total noncarcinogenic PAHs (p < 0.05), while the blood carcinogenic PAHs level in children was found to be associated with lower status of their families (p < 0.05). It is speculated that there may be chances of health hazards through exposure to PAHs, those not yet declared hazardous and present at higher concentrations in the Indian environment. Further study with a larger sample size and accompanying environmental data is desired to validate the findings of this pilot study and strengthen the database of PAHs exposure in India.