Characteristics and Source Identification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Soils: A Review

Abstract. This study explores qualitative and quantitative composition of 15 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban soils of some parkland, residential and industrial areas of the large industrial centre of Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation) in Eastern Europe. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis on the PAH loading differences among urban territories with different land use scenarios. Benzo(a)pyrene toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) were used to calculate BaPeq in order to evaluate carcinogenic risk of soil contamination with PAHs. Results of the study demonstrated that soils within residential and industrial areas are characterized by common loads of PAHs generally attributed to high traffic activity in the city. Considerable levels of soil contamination with PAHs were noted. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 0.33 to 8.10 mg kg−1. A larger portion of high-molecular-weight PAHs along with determined molecular ratios suggest the predominance of pyrogenic sources, mainly attributed to combustion of gasoline, diesel and oil. Petrogenic sources of PAHs have a significant portion and define the predominance of low-molecular-weight PAHs associated with petroleum, such as phenanthrene. Derived concentrations of seven carcinogenic PAHs as well as calculated BaPeq were multiple times higher than reported in a number of other studies. The obtained BaPeq concentrations of the sum of 15 PAHs ranged from 0.05 to 1.39 mg kg−1. A vast majority of examined samples showed concentrations above the safe value of 0.6 mg kg−1 (CCME, 2010). However, estimated incremental lifetime risks posed to the population through distinct routes of exposure were in an acceptable range. One-way ANOVA results showed significant differences in total PAHs and the sum of seven carcinogenic PAH concentrations as well as in levels of FLU, PHE, FLT, PYR, BaA, CHR, BbF, BaP and BPE among parkland, residential and industrial land uses, suggesting the influence of the land use factor.

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“…PAH molecular markers and ratios were used to determine PAH sources (Yunker et al, 2002;Hwang et al, 2003;Wang et. al 2015Wang et. al , 2017.…”

Section: Hplc Pah Source Identification and Risk Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in urban soils of an Eastern European megalopolis: distribution, source identification and cancer risk evaluation

2018

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“…This ratio postulates that PAH contamination in the sediment originates primarily from petrogenic sources such as oil spills, hydrocarbon waste and possibly hydrocarbon-based agrochemicals [34]. To complement this observation, PAHs of petrogenic origins are characterized by the predominance of two-and three-ring PAHs, while the PAHs of pyrogenic origins are characterized by a high proportion of four-ring or heavier PAHs [35,36]. This is consistent with the geographical location of River Elburgon in which there are suspected wood treatment activities, car washing and heavy agricultural activities.…”

Section: Pah Profiles In the Sediments Of River Elburgonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the bottom sediments of Elburgon River—Kenya: precursors for cancer

et al. 2019

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The exponential growth in the rate of industrialization is a serious precursor for contamination and deterioration of the environment. Water pollution, for instance, is expected to reach disturbing levels in the years to come. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water systems are persistent contaminants not only in aquatic systems but also in soil, air and plant materials and are well-known initiators for cancer and gene mutation. Numerous human-dependent activities such as agriculture and suspected wood treatment works in Elburgon may lead to an increased PAH contamination of water in River Elburgon, especially when the internationally set limits are exceeded. The sediment samples were collected in May 2019 during the wet season and treated for analysis of PAHs using a gas chromatograph hyphenated to a mass selective detector. A total of 25 PAHs were quantified in this study out of which pyrene was the most abundant, contributing ≈ 17% of the total concentrations of PAHs identified. The total concentration of the PAHs analyzed in this study was found to be ∑ 25 PAH = 73.19 ± 3.67 μg g −1 dry weight (dw) with pyrene contributing a total concentration ∑ pyrene = 12.44 ± 0.54 μg g −1 dw. On the other hand, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-a well-known carcinogen-was significantly high ∑ BaP = 10.67 ± 0.43 μg g −1 . Other major PAHs detected included acenaphthene and 5,6-dihydrobenzo[de] anthracene, 14.57% and ≈ 11% , respectively. The low concentration PAHs included 1-ethenylnaphthalene and 1,4,5-trimethylnaphthalene each at 0.08% . The presence of benzo[a]pyrene in significant amounts is of serious concern on the public health of the residents of Elburgon and its environs. Considering the high levels of PAHs in the sediments of River Elburgon, it is important to note with concern that the water in the river under study is not only be unsuitable for drinking but also unsuitable for other domestic purposes such as irrigation and laundry.

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“…PAHs and their derivatives are produced by the incomplete combustion of organics partly from natural combustion such as forest fire and volcanic eruption, but mostly from anthropogenic emissions like combustion of fossil fuels. [181][182][183][184][185] PAHs are found in water, air, sediment, soil, and food, showing highly toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic effect to both animals and human. 186,187 PCBs are produced in industrial scale and used all over the world through the 1930's to 1980's as cooling/isolation fluids in closed systems like transformer and vacuum pumps, and also as fire retardants for electric/electronic equipment.…”

Section: -180mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review—Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensors for Food Safety and Environmental Monitoring

Tang

Zhu

Meng

et al. 2018

J. Electrochem. Soc.

157

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This article gives a review of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors for food safety and environmental pollution monitoring. It introduces the basic concepts of SERS substrates, SERS enhancement factors and mechanisms, SERS probes/labels, molecular recognition elements as well as optofluidic SERS devices (SERS sensors integrated with microfluidics). This article places an emphasis on the design strategies of various SERS sensors by utilizing fingerprinting SERS spectra or by using SERS probes. It highlights the applications of SERS sensors in detection of heavy metals (such as Hg 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ and As 3+ ), inorganic anions (nitrite, nitrate, perchlorate and fluoride), toxic small molecules (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, polychlorinated biphenyls, herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics and food additives), as well as pathogens (bacteria and viruses Food safety and environment pollution are among great challenges in the human society. There are some common pollutants in the environment and food, such as heavy metals, nitrites, phosphates, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, hormone, pathogens and other additives. Some pollutants initially are released into the environment, and then accumulate in the food chain, and enter human bodies. Uptake of pollutants by human poses a threat to human health to different extents. 1,2Hence it is essential to monitor pollutants in the environment and food. Currently pollutants are typically measured with various laboratorybased techniques, such as atomic absorption spectroscopy, atomic fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrum, inductively coupled plasma and ion-coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, analytical profile index (API), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).3-7 Although these techniques have high sensitivity and accuracy, they rely on expensive instruments and require professional to treat samples and operate instruments in centralized laboratories. Additionally, analysis generally takes several hours to days. For example, 0.024 ppb of Hg 2+ and 0.023 ppb of As 3+ in drinking water can be detected using atomic absorption spectroscopy with a two-step electrothermal atomizer and hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry, respectively. 8,9 However, they need multiple sample preconcentration processing and expensive instruments. PCR can improve the number of the target while ELISA can produce amplified recognition signal, which could both improve the detection sensitivity to pathogens. For example, oligonucleotide microarray with combination of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as fluorescent labels shown high specificity and sensitivity of 10 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. 10 However, the complicated procedures are very time-consuming, and the method is also vulnerable to contamination. These laboratory-based techniques cannot meet the critical need of rapid on-site measurement of pollutants. Therefore, it is essential to develop portable sensors f...

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Characteristics and Source Identification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Soils: A Review

Cited by 144 publications

References 86 publications

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in urban soils of an Eastern European megalopolis: distribution, source identification and cancer risk evaluation

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in urban soils of an Eastern European megalopolis: distribution, source identification and cancer risk evaluation

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the bottom sediments of Elburgon River—Kenya: precursors for cancer

Review—Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensors for Food Safety and Environmental Monitoring

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