Determination of nitroarenes in precipitation collected in Kanazawa, Japan

Eight nitroarenes, 1,3-, 1,6- and 1,8-dinitropyrenes, 1-, 2- and 4-nitropyr enes, 6-nitrochrysene and 2-nitrofluoranthene, in precipitation collected i n Kanazawa were determined. The nitroarenes in the precipitation were conce ntrated onto solid phase extraction cartridges, and identified with highper formance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection. The nitroa rene concentrations in the precipitation were in the range 0.016-15 pmol/L, and the nitroarene composition tended to be the same as that in airborne p articulates. I-Nitropyrene in river water and seawater were also determined . 1-nitropyrene concentrations on the days after rain (19-110 fmol/L) were higher than those on the days before rain (4,11 fmol/L). Moreover, 1-nitrop yrene concentrations in the river water were much lower than those in the p recipitation, but were higher than those in the seawater. These results sug gested that the nitroarenes in the precipitation and the river water came f rom airborne particulates. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.