An investigatory study and risk assessment for the existence of hazardous volatile organic compounds in Kala Sanghian Drain, Punjab, India

Background

Kala Sanghian Drain, Punjab, India, receives the chemicals from the leather industries, motor bearings industries, electroplating industries, and textile industries situated on its side. This drain becomes a source of physiological disturbance, such as skin diseases, respiratory problems, peripheral neuropathy, and neurotic symptoms in the community living near it. These become a bed of carcinogenic and mutagenic agents, too.

Methods

To analyze the presence of toxic volatile organic compounds in the industrial effluent of Kala Sanghian Drain, gas chromatography equipped with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS) was used. The four sites along the length of the drain, having a hub of industries, were chosen for the collection of samples. The samples were collected in triplicate.

Results

Eleven volatile organic compounds have been detected from four sites (LO, LD, FD, and BD) of the Kala Sanghian Drain (KSD). The identified volatile organic compounds were 1, 3, 5-Trimethylbenzene, p-isopropyltoluene, bromobenzene, cumene, ethylbenzene, carbon tetrachloride, cis-1, 2-dichloroethene, heptane, dichloromethane, 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane, and tetrachloromethane. The most frequently occurring volatile organic compounds across the sites were heptane, dichloromethane, and cis-1, 2-dichloroethene. The highest number of volatile organic compounds was observed in Site 3 (FD) with eight organic compounds. Heptane was identified with the highest total concentration of 619.3 ng/ml. On the contrary, cumene was present with the lowest concentration of 10.11 ng/ml. The identified volatile organic compounds belong to the benzene series, chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorinated benzene, and alkane.

Public health relevance

Industrialization and urbanization are colossal sources of pollutants in the environment, especially in water bodies. The highly polluted drains of developing countries are impairing the normal parameters of the water bodies. At the study site, where the hazardous chemicals are released into the drain, there is no air monitoring. These toxic compounds not only become a hazard for the residents but also manipulate the aquatic life and the agriculture sector. The Sutlej River and the ocean are the next destinations for this outflow. In this sense, it affects aquatic and human life worldwide, either directly or indirectly. Our research emphasizes how important environmental monitoring is to preserving human life.