Health risk assessment from habitants of Araró, Michoacán, México, exposed to arsenic by dust, using Monte Carlo probabilistic method.

Abstract

Abstract Arsenic (As) is a worldwide distributed metalloid; and its environmental exposure by various media has been associated with some diseases such as: lung, skin, bladder and pancreas cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and atherosclerosis. Environmental presence of As may be due to natural origin, human activities or geothermal processes. Michoacán is located in the volcanic transverse system which is a highly active geothermal site in center México. The aim of this research was to assess the health risk for As exposure by dust of Araró´s population using Monte Carlo simulation. 40 dust samples were randomly collected in Araró village, located in northeast Michoacán, and these were analyzed using portable X-ray fluoroscopy. The arsenic levels obtained for the dust samples were in the range of 5.94–42.53 mg/kg. Health risk was assessed using USEPA formulas and Monte Carlo Simulation for oral, dermal and inhalation pathways. Anthropometrical data were obtained from the Health and Nutrition National Survey 2018.Mean average daily dose (ADD) for all age groups (preschooler, schooler, adolescent and adult) were below of safety criteria. 4 and 6% of preschooler and schooler dermal ADD’s were above of safety criteria. In the same way, hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) mean values were below of safety criteria. Nevertheless, it was found that dermal carcinogenic risk (CR) value for adults tends to represents a potential cancer risk. Despite of relatively low As concentration reported it is remarkable that more As exposition routs must be explore in order to determine problem severity.