CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICLE-BOUND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHs) IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN SITES OF TABRIZ, IRAN

Introduction: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are among the main pollutants in the urban and industrial atmosphere. An investigation on variation of PAHs in the urban and suburban atmosphere of Tabriz, Iran was conducted in this study. Materials and methods: TSP and PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10μm) samples were collected at two sites between September 2013 to July 2014. PAHs were analyzed with GC?MS. Results: The concentrations of the total PAHs in TSP and PM10 were 47.87±17.28 and 36.69±6.71 ng/m3 in the urban site and 91.88±35.65 and 77.2±22.24 ng/m3 in the suburban sampling site, respectively. 4-5 ring PAHs (Chr, BaA, BghiA, Flu, Nap, and Phen) were the abundant PAHs compounds, which accounted for 75-80% of total PAHs in urban and 85-88% of total PAHs in suburban sampling sites. The ratio of carcinogenic PAHs (BaA, Chr, BbF, BkF, BaP, DahA and Ind) to ΣPAHs respectively ranged from 0.51-0.58 and 0.81-0.85 in urban and suburban sampling sites. Conclusions: Potential sources of PAHs were identified by using the molecular diagnostic ratios between PAHs. The obtained diagnostic ratios of Anth / (Anth + Phen) and total LMW/ total HMW suggest that pyrogenic sources such as gasoline and diesel vehicles are the major sources of PAHs in the study area.