Concentrations, trends and profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the UK atmosphere

Recent UK data relies on the findings of three basic studies - all of which employed medium or high-volume samplers to collect particulate and vapour phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by means of filter papers and polyurethane foam plugs. Upto eighteen parent PAH species were determined in each study by reversed-phase HPLC. PAH at urban sites were found to be present in greater concentrations than at rural sites by a factor of approximately four, and concentrations in the winter campaigns exceeded those in summer by a factor of four to five. UK data appears to agree well with other published European data. Present data suggest that PAH concentrations have decreased in the UK, probably quite dramatically, over the past fifteen to twenty years.