Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment by glass capillary gas chromatography

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are Isolated by a sequence of solvent extraction, gel filtration, and adsorption chromatography. The separation of the PAH concentrates Into quantifiable Individual constituents Is then achieved by glass capillary gas chromatography using 20-m long capillaries coated with SE-52. Precision and accuracy of the determination of five Individual PAH are presented. Representative analyses are reported for samples of recent lake and river sediments, river particulates, street dust, and airborne particulates. Benzo[<I>a</I>]pyrene levels In surface sediments range from 0.2 to 0.6 μg/g dry material and In river particulates and street dust from 2 to 4 μg/g. A sample of airborne particulates contained 40 μg benzo[<I>a</I>]pyrene per g.