Preliminary Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Associated to Airborne PM10 in Győr, Hungary

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the ambient concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated to the PM10 aerosol fraction in an urban site of Győr, Hungary in 2011. The levels of total PAHs and the individual compounds show large variability during the sampling periods. The total PAH concentrations ranged from 0.88 ng/m³ to 95.80 ng/m³ with the mean value of 20.06 ng/m³. Four and five-rings PAHs were the dominant species in the samples. The levels of carcinogenic PAH species (benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, sum of the three benzofluoranthene isomers, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene) determined were compared with published data of other Hungarian cities. The potential carcinogenic risks of PAHs were also estimated.