Urban levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitro-pah in atmospheric particles sampled from Birmingham, UK and Damascus, Syria

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and some of their nitrated derivatives (nitro-PAHs) have been measured in atmospheric particulate matter sampled from Birmingham, UK and Damascus, Syria. Sample clean-up and enrichment was carried out by solid phase extraction and normal phase HPLC-fractionation. The first fraction was analysed for PAH by reverse phase HPLC with UV-visible and programmed fluorescence detection. The second fraction was analysed for nitro-PAH by reverse phase HPLC with selective fluorescence detection after post-column reduction to their highly fluorescent amino-PAH.