Abstract:
Environmental pollution is reaching at alarming proportions globally. Due to increased
urbanization, vast industrialization, energy consumption, and waste production, there has been
an increasing trend of pollution worldwide. To keep environmental parameters in balance
proper monitoring of environmental pollutants is important. Biomonitoring is the quality check
of the environment with the help of living organisms and their products. This study was
performed for the first time in Pakistan in the Bhakkar district of Punjab. The presence or
absence of organic airborne pollutants was determined with the help of honey as a biomonitor.
34 honey samples were collected from different nearby locations of the Bhakkar district, out
of which 30 were nominated as polluted samples based on the NIST library match. QuEChERS
a robust method of extraction was performed for the extraction of the analyte of interest
(organic component) from the sample. After that, the analyte was referred to GC/MS analysis
for identifying pollutants in samples. The presence or absence of these identified pollutants
was further supported with the help of FTIR and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Almost 36 types of
pollutants were identified in 30 different samples, including systemic toxins, carcinogenic,
mutagenic, ecotoxic, cytotoxic, and neurotoxins based on literature. HRI (health risk index)
values were assumed by using a relative concentration of identified pollutants. For risk factor
assessment specific software technique (EPI-suite software) was used. This study has furnished
a clear picture of the environment confirming the presence of different organic pollutants in
the targeted area. This work also proposed honey as a good bioindicator of the environment
because of its ease of availability in rural areas, mobility, intense foraging activity, and
morphological features of the honeybee.
