Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oxy- and nitro-PAHs in ambient air of Arctic town Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Abstract

Abstract. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are not declining in Arctic air despite reductions in their global emissions. In Svalbard, the Longyearbyen coal-fired power plant is considered to be one of the major local source of PAHs. Power plant stack emissions and ambient air samples, collected simultaneously 1 km (UNIS) and 6 km (Adventdalen) transect distance, were analyzed (gaseous and particulate phases separately) for 22 nitro-PAHs, 9 oxy-PAHs and 16 parent PAHs by GC/ECNI/MS and GC-MS/MS. Results confirm low level of PAH emissions (∑16 PAHs = 1.5 µg kg−1 coal) from the power plant. Phenathrene, 9,10-anthraquinone, 9-fluorenone, fluorene, fluoranthene, and pyrene accounted for 85 % of the plant emission (not including naphthalene). A dilution effect was observed for the transect ambient air samples, 1.26 ± 0.16 and 0.63 ± 0.14 ng m−3 sum all 47 PAH derivatives for UNIS and Adventdalen, respectively. The PAH profile was homogeneous for these recipient stations with phenathrene and 9-fluorenone being most abundant. Principal component analysis, in combination with PAH diagnostic ratios and literature data on different source-specific markers, confirmed coal combustion, gasoline, and diesel traffic as the predominant sources of PAHs. Secondary atmospheric formation of 9-nitroanthracene and 2+3-nitrofluoranthene was evaluated and concluded. Results also indicate that ambient PAH concentrations were affected by precipitation events, and specific humidity is an essential parameter influencing PAH scavenging from the air. The present study contributes important data which can be utilized to eliminate uncertainties in model predictions that aim to assess the extent and impacts of Arctic atmospheric contaminants.

Simultaneous Measurements of PM2.5- and PM10-bound Benzo(a)pyrene in a Coastal Urban Atmosphere in Poland: Seasonality of Dry Deposition Fluxes and Influence of Atmospheric Transport

“…Moreover, Niu et al (2017) showed extremely high mean values of BaP in PM2.5 within Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (6.87-18.30 ng m -3 , Table 3). The mean BaP levels in other large urban/industrial regions of Asia, such as in Seoul (2.55 ng m -3 , Lee et al 2006), were much higher compared to Longyearbyen in Norway (0.89 ng m -3 , Drotikova et al 2020). It was also found that BaP concentrations in TPM at urban traffic/residential sites in Europe (Pietrogrande et al, 2011, Martellini et al, 2012, Siudek, 2018, Šišovic et al 2013, North America (Liu et al, 2017) and Australia (Mishra et al, 2016) were much lower than in similar urban areas of India (Ray et al, 2017) and China (Shi et al2015, Ma et al, 2018.…”

Non-target and suspect characterisation of organic contaminants in Arctic air – Part 2: Application of a new tool for identification and prioritisation of chemicals of emerging Arctic concern in air

“…OCS has also been detected in air samples from the Alps (Kirchner et al, 2016), and 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene has been measured in sediments in Arctic Alaska (Gubala et al, 1995) but to our knowledge not in Arctic air before; 1,9-benz-10-anthrone, 9-fluorenone, 9,10-anthraquinone and 4H-cyclopenta[def]phenanthren-4-one have been reported in aerosols as total suspended particles from the Alert station, Canada (Singh et al, 2017). Besides that, they were detected, among further oxy-and nitro-PAHs, in the emissions from a local point source in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (coal-fired power plant) (Drotikova et al, 2020). Most of the known Arctic contaminants were classified as L1 as a result of available standards.…”

Lung cancer risk in workers occupationally exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with emphasis on the role of DNA repair gene

“…PAHs in SPM samples were Soxhlet extracted with a solvent solution (the mixture of n-hexane and dichloromethane, 500 ml/L of each) for 24 h according to Chiu et al ( 2013a ). The extracts were then concentrated to about 3 ml on a rotary evaporator for the clean-up procedure (Drotikova et al 2020 ). The collected eluent from the clean-up procedure was concentrated to 1 ml on a rotary evaporator and stored at 4 °C till analysis (Hassan 2006 ).…”