Assessing the chemical composition, potential toxicity and cancer risk of airborne fine particulate matter (PM) near a petrochemical industrial area.

In the vicinity of a petrochemical industrial region in São Paulo, Brazil, PM-bound organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro-PAHs, oxy-PAHs, hopanes, and inorganic species were evaluated. Oxidative potential (OP), burden (OB), and Alivibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition (AFBIA) assays were conducted to determine the potential health effects of exposure to these compounds. The PM mean concentration was 32.

Particulate matter-bound organic compounds: levels, mutagenicity, and health risks.

Increased industrialization and consumption of fossil fuels in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP), Brazil, have caused a growth of the particulate matter emissions to the atmosphere and an increase in population health problems. Particulate and gaseous phase samples were collected in different short campaigns (2015, 2016, and 2017) near an urban-industrial area. Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and its derivatives (nitro and oxy-PAH), n-alkanes, hopanes, and pesticides were determined.