Probabilistic assessment of temporal cancer risk from cadmium and arsenic in PM2.5 in the University of Ilorin area

There has been a surge in atmospheric pollutants which is as a result of the rapid industrialization of many cities in Nigeria, coupled with rural-to-rural migration. This surge is driven primarily by activities such as the combustion of fossil fuel, increased vehicular emssions, and the indiscriminate burning of refuse. Air pollution has become a thing of concern due to the health effects associated with it, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Lung Cancer, asthma, etc. This study is aimed at finding the cancer risks associated with potentially toxic metals (PTMs) (Cd and As) found in PM2.5. Data was collected from the surface particulate matter network (SPARTAN), which is mounted at the Department of Physics, University of Ilorin. SPARTAN is a network of dust samplers that are installed in various areas. The mean Concentration of Cd collected from this site ranged from 0.000377 μg/m3 and 0.00767 μg/m3 with the lowest being recorded in March, and highest in November. For As, the concentration ranged from 8.67E−05 μg/m3 and 0.00329 μg/m3 with the highest being recorded in November, and the lowest in March. Cd recorded concentrations that were higher than the WHO and EU set limits, in July (0.00648 μg/m3), August (0.007487 μg/m3), and November (0.00767 μg/m3). From the Monte Carlo Simulation for Cancer Risk assessment, it was found out that for Cd, the highest level of risk via inhalation was recorded in August with a value of 6.08E−03, and the least was recorded in March with a value of 3.06E-04 these values were a cause for concern. Via dermal contact, the least mean risk was recorded in October with a value of 1.47E−06, and the highest was recorded in August with a value of 2.94E−05 which were all in the safe zone. For As, via Inhalation the highest was recorded in November with a value of 2.36E−03, and the least was recorded in April with a value of 1.56E−04, while via dermal contact, the highest was recorded in November with a value of 3.81E−07, and the least was in April with a value of 1.01E−08. These results therefore indicated that via inhalation, both PTMs showed a great Cancer Risk, but the reverse was the case for dermal contact.