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Biomonitoring of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Contamination in the Island of Crete Using Pine Needles

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Abstract

Pine needles were selected as cost-effective and easy collectable matrices suitable for long-term monitoring of the lower troposphere pollution with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Overall, 27 sampling sites around the island of Crete were selected, and upon availability, second- and third-year needles from two pine species (Pinus brutia Ten. and Pinus pinea L.) were collected. In general, the results for both pine species showed that sites belonging in the urban group yielded the highest contamination levels when compared to the rural and the remote ones and that third-year needles had higher PAH contamination than the second-year ones. Phenanthrene was the prevailing PAH, representing 39% and 46% of the total contamination for second- and third-year needles, respectively. Fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene and fluorene followed, with individual concentrations between 6% and 12%. The dominance of three-ringed PAHs was evidenced for the vast majority of the sites. An urban, rural and remote fingerprint was determined over a more general uniform contamination pattern, and the diagnostic PAH ratios pointed towards mixed petrogenic and pyrogenic sources. Overall, the present findings showed that the presence of PAHs is not negligible throughout the Cretan atmosphere and can be even considered quite high in some areas, especially when comparing the results to the ones found for more densely populated or industry-related areas.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Fundação da Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) for the scholarship SFRH/BD/11970/2002 and the project PTDC-AGR-CFL-73156/06. Irama Sánchez, Dr. Alícia Navarro, Dr. Mònica Rosell and the authorities of the Samaria Gorge National Park are thanked for their collaboration in the collection of the samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LEPAE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Nuno Ratola & Arminda Alves

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Polytechneioupolis, 73100, Chania, Greece

    Elefteria Psillakis

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  1. Nuno Ratola
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  2. Arminda Alves
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  3. Elefteria Psillakis
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Correspondence to Elefteria Psillakis.

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Ratola, N., Alves, A. & Psillakis, E. Biomonitoring of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Contamination in the Island of Crete Using Pine Needles. Water Air Soil Pollut 215, 189–203 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0469-y

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