title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soils of a densely populated region and associated human health risks: the Campania Plain (Southern Italy) case study.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a major class of environmental pollutants mainly arising from anthropogenic activities. In this paper, the behavior and the distribution patterns of sixteen PAHs, listed as priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, were evaluated in 119 soil samples collected in different areas of Campania region in the southern Italy. The observation of the geochemical distribution patterns showed that both high and low molecular weight PAHs are mostly concentrated within the metropolitan area of Naples, the Agro Aversano area, and, partly, the Sarno River basin. In accordance with the Italian environmental law (D. Lgs. 152/2006), these areas should be considered potentially contaminated and not suitable for a residential use unless an environmental risk analysis does not demonstrate their safety. As a consequence, a preliminary quantitative risk assessment enhanced by the use of GIS was run revealing the existence of an incremental lifetime cancer risk higher than 1 × 10(-5) for the city of Naples and for some other populous areas.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Via Mezzocannone 8, 80134, Naples, Italy, stefano.albanese@unina.it.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Albanese
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fontaine
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cannatelli
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.forename: Shihua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Menghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Vivo
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants