Abstract
A spectrophotometric technique is described for determining the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in furnace black, vehicular tire rubber, and lung tissue, utilizing benzene and immiscible solvent system extraction followed by thin-layer chromatography on cellulose with N,N-dimethylformamide as developer. By use of this procedure, furnace black and new and aged vehicular tire rubber are found to contain 3,4-benzpyrene, 1,2-benzpyrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene in quantities which are not diminished by processing, aging, or wear. In a further application of the procedure it was established that commercial furnace black and furnace black deposited in the lungs of monkeys are similar in that both contain adsorbed 1,2-benz-pyrene, pyrene, and possibly fluoranthene, and two unidentified fluorescent compounds. They are dissimilar in that the furnace black from monkey lungs contains no coronene or 3,4-benzpyrene.