Environmental Chemistry PASSIVE AIR SAMPLING OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND POLYCHLORINATED NAPHTHALENES ACROSS EUROPE

†Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Lancaster University,Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom‡Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4(Received 22 July 2003; Accepted 13 October 2003)Abstract—This study presents concurrently sampled ambient air data for a range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) andpolychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) at the continental scale. This was achieved with a passive air sampling system, by deployingpolyurethane foam disks, which were prepared in one laboratory, sealed to prevent contamination, sent out by courier to volunteersparticipating in different countries, exposed for six weeks, collected, resealed, and returned to the laboratory for analysis. The studyarea was Europe, a region with a history of extensive persistent organic pollutants usage and emission, and with marked nationaldifferences in population density, the degree of urbanization and industrial and agricultural development. Samplers were deployedat remote, rural, and urban locations in 22 countries. Calculated air concentrations were broadly in line with those obtained byconventional active air sampling techniques, for both compound classes and for compounds existing predominantly in the gas andparticle phases. The geographical compound distribution reflected suspected regional emission patterns and highlighted localizedsource areas. Both PAH and PCN levels varied by more than two orders of magnitude. The implications for sources are discussed.Keywords—Passive air sampling Persistent organic pollutants Europe Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Poly-chlorinated naphthalenesINTRODUCTION