The burden of disease attributable to ambient PM2.5-bound PAHs exposure in Nagpur, India

Exposure to PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can elicit several types of cancer and non-cancer effects. Previous studies reported substantial burdens of PAH-induced lung cancer, but the burdens of other cancer types and non-cancer effects remain unknown. Thus, we estimate the cancer and non-cancer burden of disease, in disability-adjusted life years (DALY5), attributable to ambient PM2.5-bound PAHs exposure in Nagpur district, India, using risk-based approach. We measured thirteen PAHs in airborne PM2.5 sampled from nine sites covering urban, peri-urban and rural areas, from February 2013 to June 2014. We converted PAHs concentrations to benzo[a]pyrene equivalence (B[a]P-eq) for cancer and non-cancer effects using relative potency factors, and relative toxicity factors derived from quantitative structure-activity relationships, respectively. We calculated time-weighted exposure to B[a]P-eq, averaged over 30 years, and adjusted for early-life susceptibility to cancer. We estimated the DALYs/year using B[a]P-eq exposure levels, published toxicity data, and severity of the diseases from Global Burden of Disease 2016 database. The annual average concentration of total PM2.5-bound PAHs was 458 +/- 246 ng/m(3) and resulted in 49,500 DALY5/year (0.011 DALY5/person/year). The PAH-related DALY5 followed this order: developmental (mostly cardiovascular) impairments (55.1%) > cancer (26.5%) or lung cancer (23.1%) > immunological impairments (18.0%) > reproductive abnormalities (0.4%). (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.