POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATIONS OF AIRBORNE PARTICLES IN URBAN AIR OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS

Abstract

To estimate human exposure to hazardous chemicals, it is important to measure the annual trends regarding the concentrations of these compounds in the environment. Airborne particulate samples were collected over the past 20 years (1980–2001) from ambient air using a quartz fiber filter with the help of a high-volume air sampler placed on the top of the National Institute of the Public Health building, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. In the present study, portions of these filter samples were analyzed to investigate the trends regarding the concentration of PAHs in urban air over the sampling period. The concentrations of various PAHs per unit air volume were determined. The concentrations of seven PAHs decreased within the sampling periods, especially in the late 1980s, and slowly decreased from the middle 1990s. The concentrations of seven PAHs were higher in autumn and winter than in the spring and summer.

Keywords:

• airborne particles
• high-volume air sampler
• long-term change
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• seasons

Notes

*S/N = 10.

^a Autumn and winter samples were lost.