Comparison of two extraction methods for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface soils using...

Two simple methods using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled to a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector were compared for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soils. These compounds were included in the US Environmental Protection Agency's Priority Pollutants list. Direct hot water HS-SPME extraction and sonication organic extraction followed by HS-SPME were optimized using experimental designs. The first method was chosen for PAH determination. The validation of the proposed method was carried out by analyzing PAHs in the certified soil reference material RTC-CRM 123. The accuracy obtained for the PAHs was shown to be inside the prediction interval with the certified material. The optimized method was applied to the analysis of several superficial soils from Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, North Spain).