Environmental monitoring and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through honeybees ( Apis mellifera ), honey and pollen

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants with carcinogenic potential. Their monitoring in food products is important for evaluating human exposure. In this study, four priority PAHs (PAH4: BaP, BaA, BbF and CHR) were measured in honeybees, honey and pollen collected from two apiaries in Bursa. PAH4 levels were consistently higher at the urban site than at the semi-urban site across all matrices, suggesting a stronger influence of local emissions, such as traffic, industrial activities and biomass burning in the urban environment. Health risk assessment focused on honey and pollen, indicating that BaP and BaA were the main contributors to carcinogenic potential. However, MOE values for BaP and PAH4 above the safety benchmark of 10,000 and ILCR values remaining within acceptable limits, implied negligible cancer risk for consumers. In general, honey and pollen were safe for human consumption. Bees and their products provided useful baseline data for future monitoring.