ARCHIVES
VOL. 5, ISSUE 4 (2023)
Aerosolized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations during monsoon season at a semi arid region of India: A case study
Authors
Amit Masih
Abstract
Air pollution is
responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the globe every year. Nine
out of ten human beings currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline
limits for pollutants, with those living in low- and middle-income countries
suffering the most. We breathe tiny particles called aerosols, which can damage
lung tissue and lead to lung diseases. There are many sources of aerosol
particles in our atmosphere, some are natural sources, such as mineral
dust and sea spray. Other sources such as urban smog and vehicle exhaust are
caused by human activities. Major sources of aerosols
include urban/industrial emissions, smoke from biomass burning and
secondary formation from gaseous aerosol precursors, sea salt and dust.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemicals that occur
naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. They result from burning coal, oil,
gas, wood, garbage, and tobacco. PAHs can bind to or from small particles in
the air. Airborne particulate matter from four different locations from Agra
city was collected using respirable dust samplers during the 2006 monsoon
season and was then extracted with dichloromethane using an automated Soxhlet
Extraction System (Soxtherm®). The extracts were analyzed for 17
target Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total PAH (TPAH)
concentrations were 61.09, 22.24, 20.81 and 5.21 ng m-3 at
industrial, residential, roadside, and agricultural sites, respectively. The
combined mean concentration of TPAH was 27.54 ng m-3 for all sites.
The industrial site had the highest TPAH concentration followed in order by the
residential, roadside and agricultural sites. Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene,
benzo(g,h,i)perylene and benzo(b)fluoranthene were the predominant compounds
found in the samples collected from all of the sites.
Download
Pages:22-26
How to cite this article:
Amit Masih "Aerosolized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations during monsoon season at a semi arid region of India: A case study". International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Vol 5, Issue 4, 2023, Pages 22-26
Download Author Certificate
Please enter the email address corresponding to this article submission to download your certificate.