DETERMINATION OF PARTICLE-ASSOCIATED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONSIN AMBIENT AIR SAMPLES FROM THE UPPER SILESIA REGION OF POLAND

A gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) data system and capillar y gas chromatography have been used for qualitative-quantitative deter mination of PAHs in air samples from Upper Silesia, Poland. Airborne p articulate samples were collected in the winter and summer, on glass-f iber filters which were Soxhlet-extracted using cyclohexane. The extra ctable organic matter was submitted to several steps of clean-up proce dure by using liquid-liquid chromatography in system Sephadex LH-20, 8 5% methanol/n-hexane and adsorption chromatography on Sephadex LH-20/i sopropanol. The PAH fractions containing three and more rings in a mol ecule were particularly analysed. Retention times and mass spectra for standards were compared with the data obtained for PAH fractions usin g the GC-MS system. All 14 identified PAHs were determined quantitativ ely by the internal standard method using GC. The amounts of 14 estima ted PAHs ranged from above 3 to 400 ng m-3 in the winter season, while in the summer they ranged from 1 to above 60 ng m-3. The identificati on of numerous PAHs, most of which exhibit biological activity, indica tes a high degree of air pollution in the Upper Silesia region of Pola nd. In almost all places of sampling in both seasons tested the standa rd limit for permissible benzo(a)pyrene content in the air was exceede d.