A passive air sampler for characterizing the vertical concentration profile of gaseous phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in near soil surface air

Environ Pollut. 2011 Mar;159(3):694-9. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.12.002. Epub 2011 Jan 7.

Abstract

Air-soil exchange is an important process governing the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A novel passive air sampler was designed and tested for measuring the vertical concentration profile of 4 low molecular weight PAHs in gaseous phase (PAH(LMW4)) in near soil surface air. Air at various heights from 5 to 520 mm above the ground was sampled by polyurethane foam disks held in down-faced cartridges. The samplers were tested at three sites: A: an extremely contaminated site, B: a site near A, and C: a background site on a university campus. Vertical concentration gradients were revealed for PAH(LMW4) within a thin layer close to soil surface at the three sites. PAH concentrations either decreased (Site A) or increased (Sites B and C) with height, suggesting either deposition to or evaporation from soils. The sampler is a useful tool for investigating air-soil exchange of gaseous phase semi-volatile organic chemicals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants / analysis*
  • Calibration
  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring / instrumentation
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Gases / analysis
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / analysis*
  • Polyurethanes
  • Soil Pollutants / analysis*

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Gases
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
  • Polyurethanes
  • Soil Pollutants