Risk assessment for the daily intake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the ingestion of cockle （Anadara granosa） and exposure to contaminated water and sediments along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Risk assessment for the daily intake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons fromthe ingestion of cockle (Anadara granosa) and exposure to contaminated waterand sediments along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia

The concentration of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (c-PAHs) present in the sediment and water of PeninsularMalaysia as well as in the cockle Anadara granosa was investigated. Samples were extracted and analysed with gas chromatographymassspectrometry. The concentrations of total carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (t-PAHs) were measured between 0.80 0.04 to 162.96 14.74 ng/g wet weight (ww) in sediment, between 21.85 2.18 to 76.2 10.82 ng/L in water samples and between3.34 0.77 to 46.85 5.50 ng/g ww in the cockle tissue. The risk assessment of probable human carcinogens in the Group B2 PAHswas calculated and assessed in accordance with the standards of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). CaseI in the toxicity assessment analysed the cancer risk to consumers of Malaysian blood cockle. Case II assessed the risk of cancerfrom exposure to PAHs from multiple pathways. The average cancer risk of case I and case II were found to be classifiable as unsafeaccording to the US EPA standard. The cancer risk due to c-PAHs acquired by the ingestion of blood cockle was (8.82 0.54) 10??6to (2.67 0.06) 10??2, higher than the US EPA risk management criterion. The non-cancer risks associated with multiple pathways inKuala Gula, Kuala Juru and Kuala Perlis were higher than the US EPA safe level, but the non-cancer risk for eating blood cockle wasbelow the level of US EPA concern.