Seasonal and areal variations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in street dust determined by supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Abstract

Twenty-four street dust samples were collected from highways, urban streets, a gasoline station, pedestrian tunnels, a civil house and a car park building in some German cities. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were extracted from these samples with supercritical CO₂ and determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The PAH concentrations showed distinct variations with the sampling area and the sampling season. In winter, the street dusts were contaminated by PAHs about 2–12 times more than in summer. Fluoranthene, pyrene and phenanthrene always exhibited the highest concentrations, independent of the total PAH concentration, and thus may be used as indicators of PAH pollution of street dusts.