Abstract
This study aims to determine BTEX concentrations in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (MRRJ, Brazil) and evaluate potential health risks of benzene and ethylbenzene exposure based on the collected data, in 2015, the year before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Samples were collected and analyzed following method TO-15 (U.S.EPA). Toluene was the most abundant compound in all samples (mean concentration 16.72 ± 15.70 µg m−3). The average benzene concentration in ambient air (3.44 ± 3.14 µg m−3) was slightly lower than the yearly average “upper assessment threshold”, 3.5 µg m−3, established by EU Directive 2008/50/EC. The calculated cancer risk values were > 1 × 10−6 for all samples, clearly indicating a potential cancer risk and the importance of fixed measurements by the monitoring stations to assess ambient air quality in the urban areas of the MRRJ. Calculated ratios for the BTEX species indicate that these compounds are predominantly emitted from vehicular sources with a contribution from industrial sources.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Source: Google Earth
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alghamdi MA, Khoder M, Abdelmaksoud AS et al (2014) Seasonal and diurnal variations of BTEX and their potential for ozone formation in the urban background atmosphere of the coastal city Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Air Qual Atmos Health 7:467–480
Bari MA, Kindzierski WB (2017) Concentrations, sources and human health risk of inhalation exposure to air toxics in Edmonton, Canada. Chemosphere 173:160–171
Bezerra CA, de Carvalho NJ, Geraldino CGP et al (2018) Air quality in the Maracanã and Deodoro zones during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. J Braz Chem Soc 29:2220–2232
CalEPA (2007) https://oehha.ca.gov/air/report-hot-spots/adoption-unit-risk-value-ethylbenzene. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Cerón-Bretón JG, Cerón-Bretón RM, Kahl JDW et al (2015) Diurnal and seasonal variation of BTEX in the air of Monterrey, Mexico: preliminary study of sources and photochemical ozone pollution. Air Qual Atmos Health 8:469–482
CONAMA (1990) http://www2.mma.gov.br/port/conama/res/res90/res0390.html. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Correa SM, Arbilla G (2006) Aromatic hydrocarbons emissions in diesel and biodiesel exhaust. Atmos Environ 40:6821–6826
Correa SM, Arbilla G (2007) A two-year monitoring program of aromatic hydrocarbons in Rio de Janeiro downtown area. J Braz Chem Soc 18:539–543
Da Silva CM, da Silva LL, Corrêa SM, Arbilla G (2016) Kinetic and mechanistic reactivity. Isoprene impact on ozone levels in an urban area near Tijuca Forest, Rio de Janeiro. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 97:781–785
Dutta C, Som D, Chatterjee A et al (2009) Mixing ratios of carbonyls and BTEX in ambient air of Kolkata, India and their associated risk. Environ Monit Assess 148:97–107
EU (2000) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32000L0069. Accessed 30 June 2019
EU (2008) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0050. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Hadei M, Hopke PK, Rafiee M et al (2018) Indoor and outdoor concentrations of BTEX and formaldehyde in Tehran, Iran: effects of building characteristics and health risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:27423–27437
Hamid HHA, Latif MT, Nadzir MSM et al (2019) Ambient BTEX levels over urban, suburban and rural areas in Malaysia. Air Qual Atmos Health 12:341–351
IBGE (2019) https://cidades.ibge.gov.br. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Li L, Li H, Zhang X et al (2014) Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of benzene homologues in ambient air in the northeastern urban area of Beijing, China. J Environ Sci 26:214–223
Liu J, Um Y, Zhang Y et al (2009) Atmospheric levels of BTEX compounds during the Olympic Games in the urban area of Beijing. Sci Total Environ 408:109–116
Miller L, Xu X, Wheeler A et al (2011) Spatial variability and application ratios between BTEX in two Canadian cities. Sci World J 11:2536–2549
NATA (2018) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-09/documents/2014_nata_technical_support_document.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
PHE (2015) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/427529/Toluene_TO_PHE_130515.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Rad HD, Babaei AA, Goudarzi G et al (2014) Levels and sources of BTEX in ambient air of Ahvaz metropolitan city. Air Qual Atmos Health 7:515–524
Rio Weather Forecast (2017) http://inside.fei.org/system/files/RIO%20Weather%20forecast_0.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Silva CM, Souza ECCA, da Silva LL et al (2016) Avaliação da eficiência do Método TO-15 para determinação de compostos orgânicos voláteis em condições típicas de ambiente urbano. Quim Nova 39:1245–1253
Siqueira CYS, Lemos MVP, Araujo BCC et al (2017) Atmospheric distribution of organic compounds from urban areas near Olympic games sites in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Microchem J 133:638–644
U.S. EPA (1989) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/rags_a.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
U.S. EPA (1999) https://www3.epa.gov/ttnamti1/files/ambient/airtox/tocomp99.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
U.S. EPA (2009) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/partf_200901_final.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
U.S. EPA (2016) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/ethylbenzene.pdf. Accessed 30 June 2019
U.S. EPA (2019) https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris_drafts/AtoZ.cfm. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
Ventura LMB, Ramos MB, Fernandes LC et al (2017) Rio 2016: Qualidade do ar e condições meteorológicas nos locais de competição. Ineana 4:6–47
WHO (2000) http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/74732/E71922.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
WHO (2010) https://www.who.int/ipcs/features/benzene.pdf. Accessed 15 Sept 2019
WHO (2015) http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/301720/Evidence-future-update-AQGs-mtg-report-Bonn-sept-oct-15.pdf. Accessed 30 June 2019
Xie X, Shao M, Li Y et al (2008) Estimate of initial isoprene contribution to ozone formation potential in Beijing, China. Atmos Environ 42:6000–6010
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge financial support from FAPERJ and CNPq (Brazil).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
da Silva, C.M., Corrêa, S.M. & Arbilla, G. Preliminary Study of Ambiente Levels and Exposure to BTEX in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Metropolitan Region, Brazil. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 104, 786–791 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-020-02855-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-020-02855-4