Levels and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) near hospitals and schools using leaves and barks of Sambucus nigra and Acacia melanoxylon.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most studied organic compounds in urban environments, due to their known threat to human health. This study extends the current knowledge regarding the ability of different vegetative parts of different tree species to accumulate PAHs. Moreover, exposure intensity to PAHs in areas frequented by population susceptible to adverse health effects of air pollution is evaluated.

Lichens as bio-monitors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Measuring the impact of features and traffic patterns.

The role of road characteristics, including gradient and speed control devices, in influencing emission dynamics remains to be fully elucidated. Most studies have focused on fuel consumption as an indirect indicator of sector emissions instead of directly quantifying specific pollutants, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This research approach is often due to the complexities involved in capturing these pollutants and their subsequent analysis.

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Leaf and Bark Samples of Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic compounds coming from natural or anthropogenic activities. Tree organs such as leaves and barks have been used to monitor urban air quality and have achieved remarkable ecological importance. However, the potential of many tree species as biomonitors is still unknown and efforts should be focused on conducting studies that analyze their capabilities with a viable analytical method.

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted from lichens by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Lichens are well-known biomonitors for semi-volatile pollutants, due to their ability to absorb and retain different chemical compounds such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), directly linked to levels in the atmosphere. Based on that, this paper proposes an analytical method capable of quantifying 16 EPA-PAHs from lichens found in an intertropical zone, as a natural alternative to typical capture methods, with the aim of monitoring atmospheres polluted by toxic compounds. An analytical protocol, including sample pre-treatment, followed by ultrasound extraction, clean-up in a chromatographic column, concentration and quantification by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) using Selective Ion Monitoring has been developed.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Needles in Urban Areas: Evaluation of Sources and Road Characteristics.

needles were collected in urban areas of the city of Quito, Ecuador, to analyze the relationship between the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with different emission sources and road characteristics. The PAHs were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and included naphthalene (Naph), benzo[]anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chry), and benzo[]pyrene (BaP), which are related to the sources considered in this work. The results indicated that some streets with moderate and low traffic intensity had higher total concentrations of PAHs than streets with high traffic intensity, showing the importance of non-traffic related emission sources and road characteristics on PAH emissions.