Bioconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in vegetables grown in an industrial area

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content was determined in the inn er tissue of various vegetable species and their growing environment (soil and atmosphere) in the greater industrial area of Thessaloniki, northern Gr eece. The lower molecular weight compounds dominated in both vegetable leav es and roots. Statistical analysis of variance showed that species and seas on are the factors that significantly affect PAH concentrations in inner ve getable tissue and soil, respectively. Principal component analysis indicat ed that the mixture of PAHs in inner vegetable tissue was very similar to t hat in air vapour thus suggesting gaseous deposition as the principal pathw ay for the accumulation of PAHs. Soil-to-vegetation and air-to-vegetation b ioconcentration factors were calculated and their relationships with PAHs' physicochemical properties were investigated. Solubility and the octanol-wa ter partition coefficient, as well as vapour pressure and the octanol-air p artition coefficient were proved to be good predictors for the accumulation of PAHs in inner root and leaf tissue, respectively. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd. All rights reserved.