Determination of highly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by thin-layer chromatography with densitometric detection

A method is presented for quantitative determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with four to six aromatic rings in the molecule, Measur ements were made by thin layer chromatography (TLC) coupled with densitomet ry, The results were found to be similar to those obtained by gas chromatog raphy coupled to mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring (GC-SIMMS). Levels of major mutagenic and carcinogenic PAH were determined in samples of sewage sludge, potable water, and airborne particulate matter from Upper Silesia, the most industrialized region of Poland.