Effect through inhalation on human health of PM1 bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons collected from foggy days in northern part of India

[Display omitted] •The average concentration of PM1=160.16±37.70μg/m3.•Toxic equivalency factors of ∑7PAHcarcinogen contributes 98.51% of total PAHs.•ILCR of B[a]P and Dibenz (a, h) anthracene was relatively much higher than other carcinogenic PAHs.•High total ILCR for both adults and children.•Diesel emission, combustion and long range transport are main sources for PAHs. We investigated the health risk from 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed on submicron particles and also reported their concentrations, spatial distribution and possible sources during foggy days at Kanpur. Twenty-four urban foggy day’s samples gathered from Kanpur, an urban center in North India and most densely populated city in the Indo-Gangetic plain of India, were examined for 16 PAHs (2–6 rings).The mean concentration of PM1 was found to be 160.16±37.70μg/m3. ∑16PAHs concentrations were 529.17ng/m3 with a mean of 33.07ng/m3. The compounds of higher molecular weight (4–6 rings) added to 70.67% of ∑PAHs mass concentration in the foggy day’s samples. The results of source identification by using principle component analysis (PCA) and diagnostic ratios proposed that the primary sources of PAHs were vehicular emission (primarily driven by diesel fuel) and coal combustion and the secondary source. Exposure to total PAHs in the ambient air resulted in, 95% probability total Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (TILCR) 3.57×10−5 for adults and 2.08×10−5 for children or (∼35 cancer case per million in adults and ∼20 cancer case per million in children) due to inhalation in terms of ILCR were higher than the baseline value of acceptable risk (one cancer case per million people) suggesting moderate health risk to resident human population.