ABSTRACT
Air pollution is a critical public health concern. The present study assessed the risk to human health of airborne Potentially Toxic Elements (PTE) arsenic, nickel and lead exposure in particulate matter (PM10–2.5) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Statistical analysis was performed using R Software and the risk assessment for human health was carried out according to the methods of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The results for mean annual concentration of PTE (ng m−3) were within the limits stipulated for air-quality by international agencies (arsenic <6, nickel <20 and lead <150). Airborne arsenic and lead showed higher mean concentrations during the winter than the other seasons (p < 0.05). However, the results showed a greater health risk for the adult population and during the winter season. These findings highlight the importance of air pollution as a risk factor for population health.
Acknowledgements
The authors extend their thanks to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for the financial support granted to conduct this study, through Process no.14907320194, and also to the Departamento de Saúde Ambiental da Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo (FSP-USP). The authors also thank the CETESB (www.cetesb.sp.gov.br) for providing access to their data sets.
Author contributions
Kamila de Almeida Piai: Investigation, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Formal analysis. Thiago Nogueira: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing – review & editing. Kelly Polido Kaneshiro Olympio: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. Adelaide Cassia Nardocci: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing.
Ethical approval
The authors declare that this research did not involve human participants and/or animals.
Availability of data and materials
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its Supplementary Material (S).
Consent to Participate and Publish
The authors consented to participate in and publish this study in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research.
Supplemental data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2023.2173153.