HEALTH RISKS ASSESSMENT FROM CADMIUM AND LEAD EXPOSURE IN STREET CHILDREN USING THE MONTE CARLO SIMULATION METHOD

Abstract

Street children represent a highly vulnerable subgroup of the urban population because of their prolonged and unregulated exposure to environmental pollutants and heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead. This study aimed to evaluate the non-carcinogenic health risks posed by Cd and Pb exposure among street children using a probabilistic assessment of health risks. This study employed a cross-sectional observational design and This study uses the MCS method to estimate non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks due to heavy metal exposure.The research subjects were 107 street children with 6 air sample inspection locations in Makassar city. The results of the Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated that both the average Hazard Quotient and Target Hazard Quotient for Cd and Pb significantly exceeded the acceptable safety threshold of > 1, indicating substantial health risks. Cd levels were significantly correlated with the age of street children, whereas Pb levels were not.. These findings highlight the need for urgent public health interventions, environmental regulations, and protective policies to mitigate toxic exposure among street children in urban environments in the long term.