Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soils of technogenic landscapes

An integrated study of qualitative and quantitative composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the atmospheric precipitation-soil-lysimetric water system of aerotechnogenic polluted landscapes was conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography in a gradient mode. Only low-molecular weight polyarenes (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, and chrysene) were found in the atmospheric precipitation and lysimetric waters. The growth of PAHs in soils is provided by the input of phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene with atmospheric precipitation. The absence of heavy PAHs (benzfluoranthenes, benz(a)pyrene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, benz(ghi) perylene, and indeno1,2,3-cd]pyrene) in the atmospheric precipitation and their identification in soil give grounds to state that their accumulation was caused mainly by transformation of organic matter during pedogenesis. The technogenic impact was estimated and criterion of the degree of soil pollution by PAH was proposed.