Abstract
The handling of used medical face mask waste is of great environmental concern, particularly in the developing African countries. A common technique for disposing of these materials is through open burning; however, this approach raises issues of air pollution. Hence, this study determined the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) from the open burning of different disposable medical facemask materials. A health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the potential health risks associated with human inhalation of emissions from the open burning of these materials, using various health risk indicators. The concentration distribution around the open incineration site was also modeled. Waste facemasks were combusted in the open reactor, and the emissions were sampled for PCBs using a filter-sorbent system. PCB analysis was done using GC-MS. Incremental Life Cancer Risk (ILCR), Inhalation Risk Assessment (IRA), and Hazard Quotient (HQ) were calculated to assess health risk. The results showed the Ʃ PCBs from different face mask materials range from 253.21 to 733.81 µg/m3, WHO-recommended surgical facemasks, and N95 Facemasks emit the highest concentration of PCBs. Daily inhalation exposure values for children range from 0.0037 to 0.012 µg TEQ kg− 1 day− 1 while IRA for adults ranges from 0.0016 to 0.0056 µg TEQ kg− 1 day− 1. Most of the ILCR values obtained are higher than the WHO stipulated permissible limits, which indicate possible cancer risk from inhalation of the emission. Also, HQ values obtained are greater than 1, indicating associated noncarcinogenic risks. The dispersion model of Dioxin-like PCBs from the burning source of the facemask depicts the presence of considerable PCB concentrations within a 3 km perimeter of the burning site after one year. The study concluded that proper disposal methods should be implemented for the management of medical face masks, especially in developing countries in Africa.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2026R13), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Funding
This study was funded by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2026R13), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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“O.A.A, A.J.A and O.I. wrote the main manuscript text and A.S.A, R.A.T prepared figures, I.E.A, J.S.A. proof read the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.”
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Adesina, O.A., Adeniran, J.A., Ige, E. et al. Spatial distribution and risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds from open incineration of used medical disposable face masks. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37397-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37397-y
