Nitro- and oxy-PAHs in grassland soils from decade-long sampling in central Europe

Abstract

Long-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitrated (NPAHs) and oxygenated (OPAHs) derivatives can cause adverse health effects due to their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and oxidative potential. The distribution of PAH derivatives in the terrestrial environment has hardly been studied, although several PAH derivatives are ubiquitous in air and long-lived in soil and water. We report the multi-annual variations in the concentrations of NPAHs, OPAHs and PAHs in soils sampled at a semi-urban (Mokrá, Czech Republic) and a regional background site (Košetice, Czech Republic) in central Europe. The concentrations of the Σ18NPAHs and the Σ11+2OPAHs and O-heterocycles were 0.31 ± 0.23 ng g−1 and 4.03 ± 3.03 ng g−1, respectively, in Košetice, while slightly higher concentrations of 0.54 ± 0.45 ng g−1 and 5.91 ± 0.45 ng g−1, respectively, were found in soil from Mokrá. Among the 5 NPAHs found in the soils, 1-nitropyrene and less so 6-nitrobenzo(a)pyrene were most abundant. The OPAHs were more evenly distributed. The ratios of the PAH derivatives to their parent PAHs in Košetice indicate that they were long-range transported to the background site. Our results show that several NPAHs and OPAHs are abundant in soil and that gas-particle partitioning is a major factor influencing the concentration of several semi-volatile NPAHs and OPAHs in the soils. Complete understanding of the long-term variations of NPAH and OPAH concentrations in soil is limited by the lack of kinetic data describing their formation and degradation.

Pollution Characteristics and Health Risks of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs) in Soils of a Coking Plant

“…TOC was significantly positively correlated with 13 individuals of parent-PAHs and PAH derivatives, except for 6-NBaP. It is worth noting that the correlation between TOC and high-molecular-weight PACs, including BaP, IcdP, BghiP, DahA, and 6-NBaP, was not significant, which is not consistent with previous studies [ 24 , 63 , 64 ]. This discrepancy could be attributed to the source of samples and soil properties.…”

The Parallel Transformations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Body and in the Atmosphere

“…Another potentially important source is heavily polluted soil, in which the PAHs that have accumulated in the soil over time can volatilize back into the atmosphere. 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 The mobility of PAHs through the atmosphere is governed by their water solubility and volatility and by atmospheric conditions. Ultimately their atmospheric lifetimes are determined by chemical processing (oxidation) and physical removal (deposition) during transport.…”