Comparison of pressurized fluid extraction, Soxhlet extraction and sonication for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban air and diesel exhaust particulate matter

Assessment of Exposure of Korean Firefighters to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons via Their Measurement in Serum and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites in Urine

This study investigated the occupational exposure of Korean firefighters to a suite of combustion-related pollutants. Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was assessed by measurement of their levels in serum and metabolites in urine (i.e., monohydroxylated PAHs, OH-PAHs). The mean level of ∑PBDEs in the serum of firefighters (17.1 ng/g lipid weight (lw)) was significantly higher than that of the general population (1.39 ng/g lw) (Mann-Whitney U Test, p < 0.05), which is similar to the ∑PAH levels (1286 ng/g lw for firefighters and 1016 ng/g lw for the general population). Individual OH-PAH levels showed 2.1- to 4.2-fold increases in postfire urine samples compared to the control urine samples, with the mean ∑OH-PAHs being significantly higher in postfire urine samples (22,658 ng/g creatinine) than in the control urine samples (10,253 ng/g creatinine) (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05). It was found that ∑PBDEs correlated with firefighters' length of service and years dedicated to on-site dispatch, while ∑OH-PAHs was strongly associated with firefighters' exposure duration, age, length of service, and years dedicated to on-site dispatch. Indeed, the results of the present study indicate that Korean firefighters are prone to elevated risk of exposure to toxic combustion-related pollutants compared with the general population.

Air monitoring for illegal drugs including new psychoactive substances: A review of trends, techniques and thermal degradation products

The detection of illicit psychotropic substances in both indoor and outdoor air is a challenging analytical discipline, and the data from such investigation may provide intelligence in a variety of fields. Applications of drug monitoring in air include providing data on national and international drug consumption trends, as monitored by organisations such as the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Air monitoring enables mapping of illicit drug manufacturing, dealing or consumption in cities and the identification of emergent compounds including the recent proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS). The rapid spread of NPS has changed the global drug market with greater diversity and dynamic spread of such compounds over several nations. This review provides an up to date analysis of key thematic areas within this analytical discipline. The process of how illicit psychotropic substances spread from emission sources to the atmosphere is considered alongside the sampling and analytical procedures involved. Applications of the technique applied globally are reviewed with studies ranging from the analysis of individual dwellings through to major international air-monitoring campaigns providing evidence on global drug trends. Finally, we consider thermal breakdown products of illicit psychotropic substances including NPS that are released upon heating, combustion or vaping and related potential for exposure to these compounds in the air.

Determination of Selected Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Particulate Matter Samples with Low Mass Loading: An Approach to Test Method Accuracy

A miniaturized analytical procedure to determine selected polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in low mass loadings (<10 mg) of particulate matter (PM) is evaluated. The proposed method is based on a simple sonication/agitation method using small amounts of solvent for extraction. The use of a reduced sample size of particulate matter is often limiting for allowing the quantification of analytes. This also leads to the need for changing analytical procedures and evaluating its performance. The trueness and precision of the proposed method were tested using ambient air samples. Analytical results from the proposed method were compared with those of pressurized liquid and microwave extractions. Selected PACs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs)) were determined by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC/FD). Taking results from pressurized liquid extractions as reference values, recovery rates of sonication/agitation method were over 80% for the most abundant PAHs. Recovery rates of selected NPAHs were lower. Enhanced rates were obtained when methanol was used as a modifier. Intermediate precision was estimated by data comparison from two mathematical approaches: normalized difference data and pooled relative deviations. Intermediate precision was in the range of 10–20%. The effectiveness of the proposed method was evaluated in PM aerosol samples collected with very low mass loadings (<0.2 mg) during characterization studies from turbofan engine exhausts.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in gas and particle phases and source determination in atmospheric samples from a semiurban area of Dourados, Brazil

A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedure that employs a PDMS/DVB fiber was developed for the analysis of gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) collected in polyurethane foam (PUF) by gas chromatography (GC) mass spectrometry. The method exhibited good linearity (R (2) > 0.99) and repeatability (4.9-25 %) as well as an impressive detection limit that ranged from 1.1 to 3.3 ng. Twenty-two air samples were collected by high-volume samplers from January to November 2007 in a semiurban area of Dourados (Brazil) and were analyzed for their content of total suspended particulates and PAHs. The PAHs were extracted from the PUF samples using the developed procedure (HS-SPME), and PAHs adsorbed on particulate matter were extracted with dichloromethane/methanol (4:1 [v/v]) in an ultrasonic bath. The values of the total daily concentrations of 16 PAHs determined in the samples ranged from 0.375 to 8.407 ng m(-3). In addition, diagnostic ratios were calculated, showing that the PAHs in the atmosphere at the sampling site originated predominantly from vehicle emissions and the combustion of grass and wood. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed as well, the results of which indicated (1) the same sources of PAH identified by the diagnostic ratios and (2) that the sampling days could be categorized into three groups depending on the atmospheric conditions. GC retention indices were also used to identify PAHs, biphenyl (phenylbenzene), and heterocyclic organic compounds (benzofurans) in some of the samples.

Determination of volatile organic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in crude oil with efficient gas-chromatographic methods

Determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in crude oil, such as super volatile organic compounds (super VOCs) and simple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is vital for targeting crude oil spill spots. In this study, a static headspace gas chromatography flame ionization detection method was established for determination of super VOCs in crude oil with both external and internal standard determination, which can be used in the field when using portable gas chromatography. Identification was done by comparing the retention time with the corresponding standards and quantitation was done with a new one-drop method. Another simplified and efficient method was performed to analyze volatile PAHs in crude oil, which can also be used in field analysis. Toluene was used as the extraction solvent for PAHs in crude oil. Method validation for both analyses was satisfactory. The result showed that n-butane and n-pentane were maximum super VOCs and naphthalene, phenanthrene and fluorene were the main PAHs in the crude oil studied. The super VOCs quantity ranged from 3 to 6% and the main PAHs consisted of 0.02-0.06% of studied crude oil.

Fine particulate phase PAHs in ambient atmosphere of Chennai metropolitan city, India

BACKGROUND

Airborne fine particulates (PM 2.5) and its associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are reportedly hazardous in urban environment due to the presence of multiple emission sources.

METHODS

In this study, fine particulates collected from fourth largest metropolitan city of India, Chennai, were extracted and analyzed for 11 PAHs by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a fluorescence detector.

RESULTS

PM 2.5 values varied between 27.2 and 190.2 μg/m(3), while average concentration of particle-associated PAHs determined was in the range from 325.7 to 790.8 ng/m(3), which signaled an alarming pollution level in Chennai.

CONCLUSIONS

Factor analysis suggested vehicular emissions inclusive of petrol- and diesel-driven engines as probable sources.

Particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from non-catalysed, in-use four-stroke scooters

The emissions of particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated in the exhaust of four (two EURO-0 and two EURO-1) four-stroke engine, in-use scooters with displacement of 150 cc, which were not equipped with catalytic converters. Non-catalysed motorcycles still represent a large proportion of circulating two-wheelers in Italy and, possibly, also in other countries. Tests were performed on a dynamometer bench, using the ECE-40 test cycle procedure. Particulate matter into the exhaust emissions was collected both during the "hot" phase of the ECE-40 driving cycle and including the first two elementary cycles of engine warming-up heating (whole cycle). Fourteen PAHs were quantified and total PAH emission factors (Sigma PAH) ranged from 7 to 169 microg km(-1). Expressed in benzo(a)pyrene equivalent (BaP(eq)), emission factors ranged from 0.6 to 18 microg km(-1). Results from the tested scooters show that despite their small engine size, non-catalysed motorcycles can emit amounts of particulate PAHs that can be comparable or even higher than emissions reported elsewhere from gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars and light- and heavy-duty vehicles. In countries where a large number of non-catalysed motorcycles are circulating, PAH emissions in urban areas from this class of vehicles might be of the same order of magnitude of emissions from diesel passenger cars.