Occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulate matter: validation and application...

This study concerns the validation of an analytical method for the measurement of occupational exposure to trace levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in airborne particulate matter (APM). Personal exposure to selected PAHs of five workers occupationally exposed to urban pollution in Rome, Italy, was evaluated. The samples were collected over 10 days evenly distributed during winter and summer of 2008. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were collected by a sampling pump and trapped in polytetrafluoroethylene filters; ultrasonic extraction was applied to extract PAH species from the matrix with toluene, and the concentrated extract was quantitatively analyzed by GC/MS. The analytical method was optimized and validated using a standard reference material of urban dust (SRM 1649a). Detection limits ranged from 0.8 ng per sample for indeno [1,2,3-cd] pyrene to 20.4 ng for sample for anthracene. Experimental results of the 50 personal samples collected showed that phenanthrene was the predominant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon [95% CI (32.42-41.13 ng m(-3))]; the highest benzo[a]pyrene concentration was 2.58 ng m(-3), approximately 2-fold higher than European annual target values (1 ng m(-3)). Seasonal variations of personal exposure to selected PAHs suggested higher emissions and reduced atmospheric reactivity of PAH compounds in winter. The analytical method was a suitable procedure for the determination of 13 of the 16 priority PAHs in APM personal samples and can be considered a useful tool to evaluate occupational exposure to low PAH levels.