Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in long-range transported aerosols

Abstract

THE presence in Norway of long-range transported air pollutants from the European continent and England is well established. In particular, SO₂ and other inorganic compounds in precipitation have been studied¹. Less attention has been paid to the organic constituents of the long-range transported pollutants. Several organic components have been identified in precipitation in Norway², including alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), phtalic acid esters, fatty acid esters, fatty acids, and dicarboxylic acids. In addition some chemicals typically connected to industry and industrial products are present. Long-range transfer of PAH compounds, in particular, is of environmental interest since a number of such compounds cause cancer in animals and they are also suspected to be human carcinogens³. We report here preliminary results on the PAH-content of long-range transported and stationary air masses.