Levels Of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds Research Articles

Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Hamilton Air: Their Mutagenicity, Ambient Concentrations and Relationships with Atmospheric Pollutants

Abstract A large number of 24-hour high-volume samples of respirable air particulate were collected on Teflon/glass filters in Hamilton, Ontario. A series of representative filters were selected for extraction, and examined using a combination of liquid chromatographic, GC/MS and bioassay techniques. A selected group of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), including a number of hydrocarbons, nitroarenes, thia-arenes and oxygen-containing PAC, were identified in thirty-three particulate extracts for correlation with the mutagenic responses for each extract using a Salmonella strain (YG1021) which responds well to nitroarenes. A good correlation was found for mutagenic potency and weight of nonpolar PAC in the data set presented. The atmospheric transformation product 2-nitrofluoranthene was identified as a major source of mutagenic potency in one heavily loaded particulate sample. The relationship between the levels of PAC and/or the mutagenicity in the extracts as a result of exposure to atmospheric pollutants was also examined.

Comparison of PAC Analysis with Biological Activity for Bitumen Fume Condensates

Abstract During the hot application of bitumen-containing materials, as, for instance, in road paving and roofing, fumes are emitted which contain trace amounts of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC). The PAC levels are very low and from the available epidemiological studies there is no evidence that human exposure to bitumen or its fumes results in any cancer risk to man. For comparative purposes we are trying to identify a laboratory “marker” for bitumen fume condensates (BFC) which will give a correlation with biological activity and hence carcinogenic potential. It was found that neither the concentration of individual PAC nor their sum provided a good marker for correlation with biological effects. On the other hand, the determination of total 3–6-ring PAC by DMSO extraction followed by GC analysis, whose use is well established for mineral oils, yielded data for BFC showing a good linear relation between 3-6-ring PAC content and mutagenicity, which means it is potentially suitable as a marker for BF...

Correlation of Systemic and Developmental Toxicities with Chemical Component Classes of Refinery Streams

Correlation of Systemic and Developmental Toxicities with Chemical Component Classes of Refinery Streams. Feuston, M. H., Low, L. K., Hamilton, C. E., and Mackerer, C. R. (1994). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 22, 622-630.Refinery streams are complex mixtures, but of a relatively few homologous series of hydrocarbons (paraffins, olefins, naphthenics, and aromatics). Studies were performed to determine if systemic and developmental toxicity were related to the presence and levels of certain classes of refinery stream components. We have performed systemic toxicology studies in the rat on 13 refinery streams: Clarified Slurry Oil, Coker Light Gas Oil, Distillate Aromatic Extract, Heavy Atmospheric Gas Oil, Heavy Coker Gas Oil (from three refineries), Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil, Light Catalytically Cracked Naphtha, Light Cycle Oil, Syntower Bottoms, Vacuum Tower Overhead, and Visbreaker Gas Oil. Rats were exposed via repeated dermal administration (daily) at several dose levels. Developmental toxicology studies were performed on these same streams with the following exceptions: only two Heavy Coker Gas Oils were tested and Visbreaker Gas Oil was not tested. End points for systemic toxicity (13-week) studies included skin irritation, body and organ weights, hematology, and serum chemistry; for developmental toxicity studies some of these same end points (excluding hematology) were considered, but they also included resorption and fetal body weight. In general, toxicity was correlated with concentrations of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) composed of 3, 4, 5, 6, and/or 7 rings (decreased thymus weight, increased liver weight, aberrant hematology and serum chemistry, increased incidence of resorption, decreased fetal body weight), PAC containing nonbasic nitrogen heteroatoms (increased mortality, decreased body weight, decreased thymus weight, increased liver weight, decreased hemoglobin content and hematocrit level, decreased fetal body weight), and/or PAC containing sulfur heteroatoms (decreased red blood cell and platelet counts, increased sorbitol dehydrogenase.) A relationship between 2-ring PAC and skin irritation was demonstrated. Severity of effect was ranked against concentration of component class and statistical significance determined by the rank-order correlation of Spearman. For the 13 streams tested, the presence and severity of systemic and developmental toxicity were dependent upon the levels of PAC and nonbasic nitrogen PAC. These classes of compounds are also believed to be major contributors to the dermal carcinogenic activity of crude oils, certain refinery streams, and poorly refined lube oils.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds in cod ( Gadus morhua) from the Northwest Atlantic and St. Lawrence Estuary

There is limited information available on levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in major fish populations including populations from the Northwest Atlantic. The cod ( Gadus morhua) stocks off eastern Canada form the basis of one of the world's most important fisheries. Muscle tissues of cod collected from Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) management Divisions 2J, 3K and 3Ps off Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as three contaminated sites in the Gulf of St. Lawrence were analyzed for total polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) by fluorimetry. Concentrations were determined in terms of crude oil and chrysene equivalents in line with recommendations of the International Oceanographic Commission. Overall, relatively low concentrations of PAC were found, the highest values generally being below 0.1 μg/g (dry weight) in terms of chrysene equivalents. Similarly, only trace levels of a few PAH were detected in composite samples analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). It is of interest that the highest levels of PAC were found in fish from NAFO Division 3k, while concentrations in fish from the two contiguous zones, 2J and 3Ps, as well as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were similar. Division 3K is a major fishing zone and it is important to determine if trawler fleets are important sources of hydrocarbons derived from fossil fuels, in this and similar fishing areas of the world's oceans.