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Pollution status of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was investigated in coastal water of Bohai Sea, China, and ecological risks of the 4 typical PAHs (naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene) were assessed using probabilistic risk assessment approach. The average concentration of total 16 PAHs was 3504 ng/L, and 3- and 4-ring PAHs were the dominant species. The probabilistic risks of the four typical PAHs were calculated using probability density function curve and joint probability distribution curve. The maximum acceptable ecological risks of 95% of the species being unaffected for the 4 compounds were 0.004, 0.035, 0.135, and 0.010, respectively. The joint ecological risk of the four PAHs was higher than the summation of their individual ecological risks, revealing that the summation of the calculated ecological risk of PAH mixtures underestimated their integrated ecological risks when they co-existed in aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, moss and reindeer dung collected at Ny-Ålesund of the Arctic were measured to investigate their accumulation trends and distribution in the three compartments. Compared with the other regions, the proportions of 2 + 3 ring PAHs to the total PAHs were higher, whereas the proportions of 5 + 6 ring PAHs were lower in the three compartments at Ny-Ålesund. Significant log/log-linear relationship was observed between the sub-cooled liquid vapor pressure and the soil/moss quotient (Q SM). The relation was similar to the relationship between the gas/particle partition coefficient (K P) and of PAHs, implying Q SM would be a “mirror image” of K P. Excellent log/log-linear relationships were observed between Q SM and K OA as well as between the moss/dung quotient (Q MD) and K OW. The results presented here indicate the physicochemical properties are suitable for characterizing the distribution of PAHs in soil, moss and reindeer dung. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gas- and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were collected in the atmosphere from the North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean to investigate their occurrence and gas/particle distribution. Significant linear correlations were observed between the gaseous concentrations of 9 PAHs and latitudes (r 2 = 0.69). The regression of gaseous PAHs and 1/T also gave a certain extent correlation (r 2 = 0.46). The gas/particle partition coefficients (K P) correlated well with the sub-cooled liquid vapor pressures (p o L) of PAHs with slopes higher than the theoretical value of −1, and the regressions of logK P–logp o L possessed a general tendency to intersect at a point (−2.52, −1.60). The non-linear regression of logp o L and the particle fraction displayed a more significant correlation (r 2 = 0.84) than the linear relation of logK P–logp o L (r 2 = 0.69). The influence of soot on K P was investigated, and it was found that the predicted values derived from the soot-air model agreed relatively better with the field measurements than those calculated based on the Junge–Pankow model and the K OA-based model. The results indicated that soot played an important role on the partitioning of PAHs to aerosols, and the partitioning of PAHs is more sensitive to presence of elemental carbon compared to organic matter of the aerosol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]