Environmental and human health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Musa estuary (northwest of Persian Gulf), Iran

Abstract

A comprehensive investigation of PAHs' occurrence and distribution in the water, sediment, and fish samples of Musa estuary was conducted. Concentrations of 16 PAHs in water, sediment and two commercial fish ranged from 0.14 to 0.66 ng/l, 67.21 to 82.92 ng/g dw, 50.25 to 99.39 ng/g fdw in J. belangerii, and 40.14 to 76.93 ng/g fdw in B. orentalis, respectively. High molecular weight PAHs (HMW-PAHs) were generally predominant compared to low molecular weight PAHs (LMW-PAHs). Additionally, the study of the PAHs fingerprints, using specific ratios, suggests the predominance of a pyrolytic origin for observed PAHs. 4-ring PAHs were observed more in the two species, whereas the PAHs in sediments were dominated by three and five ring compounds. The Incremental lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) for fish was ≤10 E 10−5, showed a minimal possible risk of cancer for children and adult.