Spatial non-targeted screening and risk assessment of organic pollutants in honey samples collected from Bhakkar District

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.