Characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fresh snow in the Changping district, Beijing

To investigate the characteristics of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the heavy snow in the Changping district, Beijing, China, we collected seven subsamples from three sample snow locations, namely, along roadsides, in parks, and in a mountain area. We pretreated the samples by liquid-liquid extraction after melting, and the total PAHs contents were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as 4281.9 ng·L–1, 731.0 ng·L–1, and 88.2 ng·L–1 in the three locations, respectively. The highest PAH benzo[b]fluoranthene content reached 695.4 ng·L–1. The contents of PAHs with four to five rings were the highest, decreasing followed by PAHs with three and six rings and those with two rings. The PAHs of snow in Changping originated mainly from biomass and coal combustion processes. Most individual PAH concentrations based on the potential ecological risk assessment were at a moderate- or high-risk level, whereas the total PAHs concentrations were at a high-risk level. Copyright © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.