Environmental contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and contribution from biomonitoring studies to the surveillance of global health

Abstract

This work presents an integrated overview of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons' (PAHs) ubiquity comprising environmental contamination in the air, aquatic ecosystems, and soils; characterizes the contamination in biota; and identifies main biomonitors and human exposure to PAHs and associated health risks. Urban centers and industrial areas present increased concentrations in the air (1344.4-12,300 versus 0.03-0.60 ng/m³ in industrial/urban and rural zones) and soils (0.14-1.77 × 10⁶ versus 2.00-9.04 × 10³ versus 1.59-5.87 × 10³ ng/g in urban, forest, and rural soils), respectively. Increased concentrations were found in coastal zones and superficial waters as well as in sediments (7.00 × 10⁴-1.00 × 10⁹ ng/g). Benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogenic PAH, was found in all environmental media. Mosses, lichens, tree leaves, bivalves, cephalopods, terrestrials' snails, and honeybees are good biomonitors of biota contamination. More studies are needed to improve characterization of PAHs' levels, distribution, and bioaccumulation in the environmental media and assess the associated risks for biota and human health. Actions and strategies to mitigate and prevent the bioaccumulation of PAHs in the environment and trophic chains toward the WHO's One-Health Perspective to promote the health of all ecosystems and human life are urgently needed.

Keywords: Biomonitors; Biota; Environmental pollution; Human exposure; One Health; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Fig. 1

Sources of ambient (air, water resources, and soil) PAHs, transport processes in the environment, and contribution of environmental contamination to human exposure and health burden (adapted from Sun et al. (2021) and Angerer et al. (2007), copyright (2023), with permission from Elsevier)

Fig. 2

Environmental ubiquity of PAHs: overall concentrations in the air, water resources, and soils (adapted from Vandana et al. (2022), copyright (2023), with permission from Elsevier)

Fig. 3

Environmental biomonitoring studies: overall concentrations of PAHs in biomonitors