Abstract

A rapid analytical approach for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in real samples of particulate matter (PM10 filters) was investigated, based on the use of water under sub critical conditions, and the subsequent determination by GC-MS (SIM). The method avoids the use of large volumes of organic solvents as dichloromethane, toluene or other unhealthy liquid organic mixtures which are normally used in time-consuming conventional sample preparation methods. By using leaching times <1h, the method allows determination of PAHs in the range of ng/m3 (detection limits between 0.05 and 0.2ng/m3 for 1458m3 of sampled air) with a precision expressed as RSD between 5.6% and 11.2%. The main idea behind this approach is to raise the temperature and pressure of water inside a miniaturized laboratory-made extraction unit and to decrease its dielectric constant from 80 to nearly 20. This effect allows an increase in the solubility of low polarity hydrocarbons such as PAHs. In this way, an extraction step of a few minutes can be sufficient for a quantitative extraction of airborne particles collected in high volume PM10 samplers. Parameters such as: extraction flow, static or dynamic extraction times and water volume were optimized by using a standard reference material. Technical details are given and a comparison using real samples is made between the conventional Soxhlet extraction method and the proposed approach. The proposed approach can be used as a quantitative method to characterize low molecular PAHs and simultaneously as a screening method for high molecular weight PAHs, because the recoveries are not quantitative for molecular weights over 202. In the specific case of the Santiago metropolitan area, due to the frequent occurrence of particulate matter during high pollution episodes, this approach was applied as an efficient short-time screening method for urban PAHs. Application of this screening method is recommended especially during the winter, when periods of clear detriment of the atmospheric and meteorological conditions occur in the area. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.