Benz(a)pyrene in soils and berries in an area affected by jets over the Kola Peninsula

Internal-combustion engines especially jets are known to be important industrial sources of benz(a)pyrene (BaP) to the environment. Over 30 years, jet aircraft have been operating in the vicinity of the town Monchegorsk, situated far north of Russia (Kola peninsula, 68°N and 33°E). The jet aircrafts take off from the military aerodrome located 4 km from the town. The takeoff path is over the inhabited territory of the town. It has been determined that the content of BaP in the upper organic soil layer varied from 200 to 30 ppb along the main path of the takeoff. These concentrations of BaP are 40–6 times larger than background levels and are 10–1.5 times larger than the accepted threshold concentration. The polluted zone correlates with the trajectory of the plane takeoff. The concentration of BaP in the berries of Vaccinium Vitis-idaea and Empetrum Hermaphroditum seems to be independent of B(a)P concentration in soil.