Concentration levels and an assessment of human health risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in honey and pollen

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulate in the food chain due to their physical and chemical properties and adversely affect human health. For this reason, this study aimed to determine the PAH and PCB concentration levels in pollen and honey samples in urban and semi-urban areas and to evaluate the risk of cancer that may occur by ingestion in Bursa, Turkey. The average total concentrations of 14 PAH ( n-ary sumation (14)PAH) compounds in pollen and honey samples were found to be 304.3 +/- 192.3 ng/g (average +/- standard deviation) and 650.2 +/- 118.1 ng/g for the urban area, and 329.6 +/- 160.6 ng/g and 464.3 +/- 66.4 ng/g for the semi-urban area, respectively. Similarly, n-ary sumation 14PCB concentrations in pollen and honey samples were found to be 8.7 +/- 3.6 ng/g and 13.0 +/- 4.8 ng/g for the urban area and 7.7 +/- 2.2 ng/g and 17.4 +/- 4.0 ng/g for the semi-urban area, respectively. It was determined that the pollen and honey samples in both sampling areas were affected by local PCB sources. The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) method determined the relationship between pollen and honey samples. According to the PCC values obtained, it was observed that pollen and honey in both sampling regions exhibited a significant relationship with each other. Finally, while there was no cancer risk for PCBs due to ingestion of honey and pollen in both sampling areas, acceptable cancer risk has been calculated for PAHs.