PAHs are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons composed of two or more fused benzene rings. These compounds are a result of an incomplete combustion in which a hydrocarbon reacts with an unknown amount of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and unwanted by-products: carbon monoxide and PAHs. Exposure to PAHs are prevalent in the environment as well as in man made products. They are detrimental to our health because they are carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic. PAHs are inherent in particulate matter. Due to their deleterious properties, it is important to qualify and quantify PAHs. Herein, we propose the bio-monitoring of PAHs through pine tree leaves from the Italian Blue Cyprus tree in two designated Los Angeles areas (the I-405 Freeway and on the Mount Saint Mary’s University campus). PAHs were extracted via a continuous Soxhlet extraction, further processed and analyzed by the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS). A Selected Ion Monitoring (SIM) table was used to search for the most common 16 PAHs found in the sample (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard was used for reference). Through a series of calculations, the concentration of the PAHs were graphed and compared with the values of PMs reported by the EPA. Since PAHs fall within the family of particulate matter, a direct correlation between the concentration of PAHs and PM values reported was expected. Samples collected from the freeway and campus area showed direct correlations with few discrepancies that can be linked to weather patterns. Analysis of the data confirmed that our campus location, on top of a hill; however, displays higher levels of PAHs than the I-405 freeway area. For future directions, we will continue to monitor PMs and PAHs during different seasons as well as analyze previous data acquired to finalize the quantification and qualification of PAH and PM concentrations found within the designated areas.

Correlation study between particulate matter and PAH concentrations through the bio-monitoring of pine tree leaves

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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