The objective of this research was to determine seasonal variation, distribution, potential health risk, and source identification of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the surface dust of eight urban areas of Qom. The total levels of 16 PAHs ranged from 364.83 to 739.26 ng g-1, with an average of 478.27 ng g-1. Sites 1 and 8 showed the highest (491.33 ng g-1) and lowest (465.08 ng g-1) concentrations of PAHs, respectively. The PAHs demonstrated the highest and the lowest levels in autumn (553.41 ng g-1) and summer (402.30 ng g-1), respectively. Naphthalene (Nap) showed the highest amounts in all of the areas (75.57 ng g-1). Source apportionment indicated that vehicular emissions and combustion of fossil fuels (liquid fossil fuel, crude oil, and gas) are the main sources of the PAHs. Toxic equivalency quantities (TEQs) index exhibited a mean concentration of 47.41 ng g-1, and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA) together contributed more than 80% of TEQ, indicating high risk potential of these compounds. Total incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) presented higher value (2.62 × 10-7) for children than for adults (2.53 × 10-7), one-fold lower than the threshold (10-6). The spatial ILCR for the study areas and seasons showed the highest cancer risk in site 2 and winter. Taken together, the carcinogenic risk of PAHs to children and adults, respectively, through direct ingestion and dermal contact pathways illustrated values close to the baseline, suggesting that more attention should be paid to the issue in the study area.
Keywords: Emission sources; Incremental lifetime cancer risk; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Surface dust; Toxic equivalency quantities.