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Abstract
Creosote Impregnated Waste Materials (CIWMs) such as out-of-service railroad lies, telephone poles and marine pilings were assessed for toxicity in 1991 as part of the Priority Substances List under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). During the assessment, insufficient data was found on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) components in CIWMs, making the evaluation of potential environmental and health risks impossible. Analyses for PAHs listed on the USEPA Priority Pollutants List were carried out on out-of-service railroad ties taken from four locations across Western Canada. Each sample was extracted, partitioned, fractionated and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Relatively high values of PAHs were found in approximately half of the samples. The concentration of each PAH varied from non-detected to several thousand ppm, however, the relative amounts of the various PAHs were similar in the positive samples.