Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Seoul, Korea

Daily particulate- and vapor-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) samples were collected at an urban site in Seoul, Korea, during five intensive sampling campaigns between October 1998 and December 1999. PAH samples collected on quartz fiber filters and PUF plugs were first extracted using dichloromethane with ultrasonication and supercritical fluid extraction methods, respectively, and then analyzed by GC/MSD/SIM. Seasonal trends in atmospheric PAH concentrations in the study area were highly influenced by fossil fuel usage for domestic heating, boundary layer height, and air temperature. The relative benzo[a]pyrene amount and particulate organic to elemental carbon ratio calculated from the measurement results suggested that photo-oxidation is not an important factor in the variation of PAH concentrations during the summer sampling periods. Correlation studies between specific PAH of the individual factors identified by principal component factor analysis and meteorological parameters revealed that both temperature and relative humidity gave greater effects on the semi-volatile PAH, PHEN and FLT, rather than on the heavier PAH, B(b+k)F and BghiP.