Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air and water in the greater Mahoning Valley region /

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are prone to atmospheric transport because of their low vapor pressures, have been reported in air, water and sediments by a number of researchers all over the globe. Many of these compounds bioaccumulate and exhibit varying degrees of carcinogenicity. Past studies have reported high concentrations of PAHs in the sediment of the Mahoning River. The present study was done to determine concentrations of PAHs in the air and water in the Mahoning Valley and to determine if atmospheric transport was an important source ofPAHs to the region. Quantitative analysis was performed using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and concentrations of twenty-one PAHs were determined in air and water for three sites- Youngstown, OH; Meander, OH and Pennsylvania, PA. Source determination was performed through the combined use of characteristic ratios and principal components analysis (peA). The Youngstown and Meander sites were found to be similar, exhibiting positive correlations between water samples and Mahoning River sediments but no correlation between the water and corresponding air samples. This is likely due to high levels of PAHs in the sediments of the Mahoning River and its tributaries being the primary source of PAHs to the water column with atmospheric transport providing only a minor contribution. The Pennsylvania site showed a correlation between the air and water samples, probably due to a higher contribution from atmospheric deposition than sediment resuspension to this rural man-made lake. It was also found that Pennsylvania air was correlated to Youngstown air. This may be due to Youngstown being an active urban site located to the west of the Pennsylvania site, making it a source of pollutants through atmospheric transport.