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ARTICLE IN PRESS

Environmental Research 107 (2008) 371– 379

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Environmental Research

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envres

Absorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pinus bark: Analytical
method and use for environmental pollution monitoring in the palermo area
(Sicily, Italy)

Santino Orecchio , Antonio Gianguzza, Loredana Culotta
Dipartimento di Chimica Inorganica e Analitica, Universita ` di Palermo, Parco d’Orleans 2, 90128 Palermo, Italy

article i n f o abstract
Article history: In the light of using biomaterial as pollutants sorbents for the environmental biomonitoring, we report
Received 16 October 2007 here the results of the absorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by pine bark. Quantitative
Received in revised form analysis of 19 different polycyclic aromatic compounds was performed, after Soxhlet extraction in
20 February 2008 dichloromethane, by means GC–MS technique. Pinus was chosen due to its wide distribution in the
Accepted 21 February 2008 Mediterranean area. The passive absorption of PAH by pine bark in the metropolitan areas allowed us to
Available online 15 April 2008
evaluate the air quality of Palermo. The obtained results showed a very high range of PAHs
Keywords: concentrations, from 33 mg/kg (bark dry weight), as SPAHs, at the control site to 1015 mg/kg along a
PAH road with high traffic flow.
Bark
Pinus & 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Bioaccumulator
GC/MS
Air quality
Palermo

1. Introduction The health effect of concern associated with PAH exposure is
cancer (de Meagd and Vethaak, 1998). According to the Interna-
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may enter the atmo- tional Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, 1991), benzo[a]an-
sphere from both natural and anthropogenic sources, the latter thracene and benzo[a]pyrene are probable human carcinogens,
prevailing in industrialized and urban areas. The primary natural and benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[j]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluor-
sources of airborne PAHs are forest fires and volcanoes (Kim et al., anthene, and indeno[1,2,3,-c,d]pyrene are possible human carci-
2003). Natural sources of PAHs also include biosynthesis by nogens (IARC, 1991). Some researchers have suggested that 1–10%
microbes and plants under anaerobic conditions (Neff, 1979). The of the incidence of lung cancer is caused by air pollution.
commercial production of PAHs is not a significant source of these Toxicological investigations showed different cancerogenic
compounds in the environment (Law and Biscaya, 1994; Howsam potency for various PAH mixtures, individual PAH and different
and Jones, 1998). PAHs are a class of chemicals that result from the application paths (oral, dermal and inhalative) which at present
incomplete combustion of fuels. In rural areas the residential cannot be predicted quantitatively (Schneider et al., 2002). Of all
burning of wood and the agricultural activities (combustion of EPA–PAH analysed in this content of some PAHs—especially the
grass, crop residues, etc.) represent the main source of atmo- slightly volatile ones—are not regarded cancerogenic. Within the
spheric PAHs, which result from inefficient combustion and remaining PAHs there are substantial differences of potency of
uncontrolled emissions. Other important stationary anthropo- several orders of magnitude—the most potent possibly is
genic sources include industrial power generation, incineration, benzo(a)pyrene BaP. Through several different studies it became
production of coal tar, coke, and asphalt and petroleum catalytic evident that it is possible to specify the cancerogenic effect of
cracking (Neff, 1979; Kim et al., 2003). The anthropogenic mobile individual PAH compared with BaP and to weigh it by means of a
sources are represented especially by vehicular traffic in large conversion factor. These factors are called toxicity equivalence
urban areas (Nielsen, 1996; Caricchia and Chiavarini Pezza, 1999; factors (TEF, Table 1)(Larsen and Larsen, 1998; Nisbet and La Goy,
Dumbar et al, 2001). 1992; Malcom and Dobson, 1994; Schneider et al., 2002).
There are numerous references in the literature concerning the
PAHs concentration in the atmosphere of large urban areas and of
zones particularly exposed to this type of emissions (Nielsen,
Corresponding author. Fax: +39 91427584.
E-mail address: orecchio@unipa.it (S. Orecchio). 1996; Caricchia and Chiavarini Pezza, 1999; Dumbar et al., 2001).
0013-9351/$ - see front matter & 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.envres.2008.02.010