Abstract
Recent studies in different localities in Nigeria report high concentrations of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) –a group of ubiquitous hazardous chemicals produced by incomplete combustion or pyrolysis processes. Inhalation exposure to PAHs has been shown to elicit both cancer and non-cancer adverse effects. Yet, there is currently no national guideline for regulating exposure to airborne PAHs in Nigeria. In this study, we developed national health-based target for 16 priority PAHs using literature information on the toxicity of the PAHs, the baseline severities of the diseases in Nigeria and the population demography. We developed ourhealth-based target (ng/m3) from 10cancers and 34 non-cancer adverse health outcomes linked to PAH exposure. Our proposed limits for the PAHs ranged from 0.02 ng/m3 for dibenzo[a,h]anthracene to 1.0 ng/m3 for benzo[g,h,i]perylene – the most or least toxic PAH, respectively. On the basis ofbenzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration, ournational PAH limit of 0.15 ng/m3is however less stringent than the global PAH limit of 0.12 ng/m3.
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