Engineering and Information Technology Collected Works - Theses
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ItemThe measurement of the concentration of benz(a)pyrene in the air of Melbourne(University of Melbourne, 1976)The work described in this report is a continuation of the investigations of Hannah1 and Cowdell2, into the concentration of benz(a)pyrene (BaP) in the air of Melbourne. These workers were unable to achieve accurate results due to limitations in the methods they employed. The method chosen for determining airborne BaP concentrations in this study consisted of high volume sampling of airborne particulates, Soxhlet extraction of the particulate samples, separation of the organic extract by two-dimensional thin layer chromatography, and spectrophotofluorimetric determination of the separated BaP. The steps in this method were investigated in order to determine the major causes of inaccuracies in the analysis. Significant losses of BaP were found to occur during particulate sample extraction and the evaporation of the solvent used to elute chromatographic adsorbent samples. These losses constituted the major limitation on the accuracy of the method. A means of avoiding or minimizing the loss due to the latter cause is suggested. A modified form of the two dimensional thin layer chromatographic separation technique was developed which made possible the simultaneous and complete separation of BaP from up to eight organic extract samples on a single 20 x 20 cm. TLC plate. This new technique is well suited to routine analyses for BaP. The concentration of airborne BaP was determined at an urban location in Melbourne during two one week sampling periods. The concentration of BaP at this location varied from 0. 1 to 1.0 ?g/1001 m3. These levels are similar to those reported for Toronto, a comparable city, but significantly lower than those reported for highly industrialized areas.