Atmospheric particulate matter and potentially hazardous compounds around residential/road side soil in an urban area.

Exposure to ambient coarse and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) causes premature death worldwide due to the nature of their particle size. It contains potentially hazardous elements (PHEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study aims to quantify the particulate matter (PM) loads on the surface of soil in twenty-five different locations including residential and roadside areas of an urban area in Northeast India. This study shows that the 24h mean concentration of PM (121 ± 49 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 153 ± 45 μg/m3 for PM10) exceeded more than three times the WHO's air quality standard limit for both PM2.5 (25 μg/m3) and PM10 (50 μg/m3) indicating poor air quality in the urban area during monsoon season. The health risk assessment of PAHs and PHEs including mutagenic or carcinogenic potency was observed to be higher as compared to other studies carried out on road traffic emissions in a similar type of urban area. This study also provides a brief database on the deposition of PM on the soil surfaces due to wet-deposition that would help to increase public awareness in such type of urban area for the control of PM pollution and further remediation.