Industrial areas play an important role in the urban ecosystem. Industrial site environmental quality is linked to human health. Soil samples from two different cities in India, Jamshedpur and Amravati, were collected and analyzed to assess the sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in industrial areas and their potential health risks. The total concentration of 16 PAHs in JSR (Jamshedpur) varied from 1662.90 to 10,879.20 ng/g, whereas the concentration ranged from 1456.22 to 5403.45 ng/g in the soil of AMT (Amravati). The PAHs in the samples were dominated by four-ring PAHs, followed by five-ring PAHs, and a small percentage of two-ring PAHs. The ILCR (incremental lifetime cancer risk) of the soil of Amravati was lower compared to that of Jamshedpur. The risk due to PAH exposure for children and adults was reported to be in the order of ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation while for adolescents it was dermal contact > ingestion > inhalation in Jamshedpur. In contrast, in the soil of Amravati, the PAH exposure path risk for children and adolescents were the same and showed the following order: dermal contact > ingestion > inhalation while for the adulthood age group, the order was ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation. The diagnostic ratio approach was used to assess the sources of PAHs in various environmental media. The PAH sources were mainly dominated by coal and petroleum/oil combustion. As both the study areas belong to industrial sites, the significant sources were industrial emissions, followed by traffic emissions, coal combustion for domestic livelihood, as well as due to the geographical location of the sampling sites. The results of this investigation provide novel information for contamination evaluation and human health risk assessment in PAH-contaminated sites in India.

Black carbon (BC) and PM_2.5 chemical characterizations are crucial for insight into their impact on the health of the exposed population. PM_2.5 sampling was carried out over selected residential sites of Jamshedpur (JSR) and Kharagpur (KGP), east India, during the winter season. Seven selected elements (SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, Na⁺, NO₃⁻, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺) were analyzed using ion chromatography (IC). Black carbon (BC) sampling was also done at two different sites in JSR and KGP to understand its correlation. The PM_2.5 ionic species mass concentration in JSR was in the order of SO₄²⁻ > Cl⁻ > Na⁺ > NO₃⁻ > K⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺, whereas in KGP, it was SO₄²⁻ > NO₃⁻ > Cl⁻ > Na⁺ > K⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺. The back-trajectory analysis showed that most of the air masses during the study period originated from the Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP). The Pearson relations of BC-PM_2.5 indicate a better positive correlation (r = 0.66) at KGP compared to JSR (r = 0.42). As shown in the diagnostic ratio analysis, fossil fuel combustion and wood burning account for 51.51% and 36.36% of the total energy consumption in JSR city, respectively. In KGP city, the apportionment of origin sources were fossil fuel and wood burning at 43.75% and 34.37%, respectively. This study provides the first inventory of atmospheric particulate-bound chemical concentrations and BC profiles in middle-east India and informs policymakers and scientists for further studies.

Real-time black carbon (BC) and fine particulate matter (PM) were collected from January to December 2017 with a portable Aethalometer and air sampler in the urban environment of Jamshedpur, India. In the present study, the diurnal and seasonal variations of BC and meteorological variables were analysed. The diurnal variation of BC ranged from 2.1 to 15.5 gm-3, with the lowest concentration during the monsoon season and the highest during the winter season, because in monsoon most of the BC and PM are settled down. The annual mean BC mass concentration was observed at 6.22 ± 3.95 µgm⁻³. While, fine PM_2.5 varied from 41.6 to 260.3 µgm-3, with an annual mean of 97.49 ± 63.52 µgm⁻³. During monsoon, the BC mass concentration shows a value of ˂ 3 µgm⁻³. Additionally, the percentage contribution of BC in PM_2.5 was determined to be around 5.06% (winter), 6.32% (summer), 5.20% (monsoon), and 7.21% (post-monsoon). The change in BC concerning different meteorological parameters was systematically studied, in which an exciting inverse relationship was noticed between BC concentration and temperature. The correlation between BC and wind speed was also established as a negative connection during study periods. It also observed a negative correlation with precipitation. Finally, the air back trajectory was analysed using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT), which revealed that the essential campaign of aerosol-bounded air parcels was mostly coming from the western part of India, with some marine air masses also joining from the Bay of Bengal during summer and post-monsoon. Overall study shows that highest BC and PM_2.5 was observed in the winter season because of mixed layer height (MLH).