Elemental composition and health risk assessment of PM10, PM2.5, at different microenvironments: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This study was designed to evaluate the health risks faced by inhabitants living in the slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The levels of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ and elemental composition of the PM₁₀ were measured in indoors (in the kitchen and living room) and outdoors (at the roadside). A total of 75 sampling locations (45 indoor and 30 outdoor) were selected for the study. The levels of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were determined using an AROCET531S instrument, while an universal air pump was used for the sampling of PM₁₀ for the determination of trace elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‒OES). The health impacts of PMs on the inhabitants of twelve microenvironments (MEs), where they spend much of their daily time, were estimated. The total amounts of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, and trace metals in PM₁₀ found in the nine or twelve MEs ranged from 10.6–119, 128–185, and 0.007–0.197 μg m^-3, respectively. According to the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) guidelines, ten of the twelve MEs can cause significant health problems for inhabitants (HI > 1) due to PM_2.5 and PM₁₀. Thus, special attention should be given by stakeholders/inhabitants to minimize the health impacts on long-term exposure. This study assessed the risk of levels of trace elements on the inhabitants who spend most of their daily lives. The study revealed that the lifetime cancer risk values for the individual and cumulative trace elements were within the tolerable range set by the USEPA guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]