气候变化领域集成服务门户

BTEX are known for their ability to deteriorate human health. A monitoring study was conducted at Gorakhpur, for a span of one year. BTEX were sampled by drawing air through activated charcoal tubes, using a low flow SKC model 220 pump. Samples were extracted with CS2 followed by subjecting the aromatic fraction to GC-FID. The mean concentration of BTEX was highest at agricultural (54.3 mu g m(-3)) followed by industrial (18.2 mu g m(-3)), roadside (12.3 mu g m(-3)) and residential site (6.1 mu g m(-3)). Toluene levels were higher than benzene at all the sites except agricultural site, where benzene concentration exceeded toluene. Seasonal variation showed highest BTEX concentration during winters (32.56 mu g m(-3)) followed by monsoon (19.90 mu g m(-3)) and summers (14.44 mu g m(-3)). At each site, BTEX levels increased with decrease in temperature. Benzene and toluene levels were plotted against indoor temperature, which revealed a significant linear correlation (p < 0.001) for each plot. BTEX concentrations were compared between different sites using Student's t and Mann Whitney U tests. Value of integrated lifetime cancer risk (ILTCR) was higher than 10(-6) for benzene at all the sites, while for ethylbenzene, it was only higher at agricultural site. Cumulative hazard index (HI) was lower than 1.0 at all the sites. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.