Search results for "PAHs"
showing 10 items of 40 documents
Pelargonium leaves as bioaccumulator of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons: Analysis and evaluation of sources and air quality in Palermo area
2006
The leaves of Pelargonium zonale have been chosen because this plant is widespread in both the Mediterranean metropolitan and peripheral areas. The paper describes the analytical method, and the results concerning the determination of PAHs in Pelargonium leaves collected in the Palermo area, and their possible origins. The GC-MS method was applied, since identification of all the different compounds with spectra libraries is possible. Samples were analyzed for 22 PAHs. The reported analytical method is complete within 2 hours, and more convenient than that of other researches. Total PAH concentrations in leaves varied between 24-357 g/kg d.w. The relative abundance of the analyzed PAHs can …
Microbes and Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Marine Environment
2020
Marine pollution has increased reaching the entire marine environment, from the surface to the deepest sediment, and has become more concerning in the last 70 years. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a fraction of ocean waste that includes, among the others, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and plastic polymers. These chemicals have an extremely long half-life, and (bio)accumulate and damage the marine flora and fauna, and, ultimately, human health. Some organisms have evolved enzymes to attack POPs in the environment and transform them into biomass and CO2. Several microorganisms degrade many POPs in relatively short time. A wide variety of bacteria has been isolated with dif…
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor dust matter of Palermo (Italy) area: Extraction, GC–MS analysis,distribution and sources
2008
Abstract Studies on indoor pollution are important since people spend more than 80% of their time indoor environments. In this work the method for PAHs analysis in indoor dust (used as passive sampler) and the results relative to samples collected in the area of Palermo are reported. Dust samples for analysis were collected from 45 indoor environments. Total PAHs concentrations in indoor dusts ranged from 36 to 34 453 μg kg −1 d.w. To correlate indoor and outdoor pollution we analyze, also, the particulate matter and PAHs levels samples collected in four stations. The percentage measured in indoor dusts results more low than that found outside. The values of isomeric ratios for the differe…
Pollution of Flooded Arable Soils with Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
2014
Soils that are exposed to floodwaters because of shallow groundwater and periodical wetlands are, to a large extent, exposed to contamination by organic and inorganic compounds. These are mainly compounds that have drifted along with the inflow of heavily laden floodwater and are produced within the soil profile by the anaerobic transformation of organic matter. Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are absorbed by the soil of the floodwaters, and moving in the soil profile, they pose a threat to groundwater. What is more, after a flood, they may be absorbed by the crops. This paper focuses on the effects of Odra River (Poland) floods, heavy metals, and PAHs on so…
Analytical method, pattern and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the stone of the Temples of Agrigento (Italy)
2009
Abstract This study shows the extraction and analytical conditions for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the stone of archaeological and historical interest. The aim of this research was to determine the concentrations, distribution and the main sources of PAHs present in the surface layer of stone of the Temples of Agrigento. Together with PAHs, we analyzed sulphates and nitrates since it has been demonstrated that these are very destructive salts that play an important role in the deterioration of stones. Total PAHs at different sites of the Valley of Temples at Agrigento varied from 18 to 84 μg/kg. Analyses were performed by GC–MS. The relative abundance of …
Characteristics of current roadside pollution using test-monitoring plots
2014
Abstract The aim of the study was the qualitative recognition of the existing roadside pollutants deposited in topsoils located close to roads with high traffic volume. So far, the studies have helped to determine the content of pollutants that accumulated over a long period of time. Traditionally, it has been difficult to distinguish between roadside pollution and pollution from other industrial sources. In order to avoid such problems and to accurately recognize present threats originating from road traffic, test-monitoring plots were installed in Poland (Gliwice and Opole), Germany (Tubingen, Ulm and Boblingen), Finland (Helsinki), Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and China (Lanzhou). To install th…
Effect of solid waste landfill organic pollutants on groundwater in three areas of Sicily (Italy) characterized by different vulnerability
2017
The aim of this study was to obtain information on the presence and levels of hazardous organic pollutants in groundwater located close to solid waste landfills. Eighty-two environmental contaminants, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 29 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 7 dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDDs) and 10 furans (polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDFs) were monitored in areas characterised by different geological environments surrounding three municipal solid waste landfills (Palermo, Siculiana and Ragusa) in Sicily (Italy) in three sampling campaigns. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs were always below t…
Composition, distribution, and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of the gulf of Milazzo (Mediterranean Sea, Italy)
2014
This article describes the characterization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of Milazzo Gulf (Italy) located in front of an oil refinery and a power plant. The investigated area is characterized by urban and industrial activities. The sixteen PAHs identified by the USEPA, as requiring priority monitoring, and other non USEPA listed PAHs, namely perylene and some methyl derivatives, were investigated The total PAHs concentrations, expressed as ∑ 19 PAH ranges from 5.6–7402 μg/Kg d.w., with a mean value of 492 μg/Kg d.w. The concentrations of PAHs found in 64 out of 67 samples were lower than the effect range low (ERL = 2460 μg/Kg) concentration, while the remaining sam…
Retene, pyrene and phenanthrene cause distinct molecular-level changes in the cardiac tissue of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) larvae, Part 2 – …
2020
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are global contaminants of concern. Despite several decades of research, their mechanisms of toxicity are not very well understood. Early life stages of fish are particularly sensitive with the developing cardiac tissue being a main target of PAHs toxicity. The mechanisms of cardiotoxicity of the three widespread model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) retene, pyrene and phenanthrene were explored in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) early life stages. Newly hatched larvae were exposed to sublethal doses of each individual PAH causing no detectable morphometric alterations. Changes in the cardiac proteome and metabolome were assessed after 7 o…
Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil of a Natural Reserve (Isola delle Femmine) (Italy) located in front of a plant for the …
2009
Isola delle Femmine Natural Reserve is a very little isle about 15 km from the centre of Palermo, in front of a plant for the production of cement and about 600 m from coast. In the present research, profiles soil PAHs were obtained for 16 sites within the reserve and for 8 stations on the rural soil taken as reference. summation Sigma PAHs, in the soil of investigated area, ranged from 35 to 545 microg/kg. With the aim to find the origin of PAHs in the soil of Isola delle Femmine, we compare the distribution of single analytes in the investigated area with those of the reference rural area (Monte Raffo Rosso), with those of atmospheric urban particulate collected at Palermo along with repo…