Risk assessments of PAHs and Hg exposure via settled house dust and street dust, linking with their correlations in human hair

•∑PAHs and Hg in house dust were significantly higher in coal burning houses in QY.•The distribution of PAHs and Hg were negatively affected by dust particle size.•The bioaccessible fraction of PAHs in dust decreased with increasing particle size.•Different profiles of PAHs and Hg were noted in human hair compared with house dust.•Particle size and bioaccessibility were two key factors of exposure risk via dust. Domestic energy, chemicals bioaccessibility and particle size were found as three critical factors for risk assessment of PAHs exposure via settled house dust (SHD) and street dust. ∑PAHs and Hg contained in SHD were significantly (p10−4) via SHD exposure. The highest accumulation trend of PAHs and Hg were found in