Physical, chemical and toxicological properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in human exposure assessments to contaminated soil and groundwater

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemical substances consisting of carbon and hydrogen only, which have multiple fused ring systems. Although PAHs are widely recognised as contaminants of concern (CoC), no applicable limits have been established for groundwater in the Romanian legislation. Furthermore, the existing methodologies do not include guidelines for assessing the human exposure to contaminated soil and groundwater. The current research aims at identifying the relevant physical, chemical and toxicological properties of PAHs when conducting human exposure assessments for contaminated and potentially contaminated sites. The methods applied in the research are based on the general geoenvironmental risk assessment procedure by analysing the sources potentially generating PAHs, the migration and exposure pathway depending on their fate and transport properties, and the vulnerability to PAHs of the potential receptors, based on their toxicological profile.