Environmental Chemistry, Sources, and Fate

Physical, chemical, and biological properties of selected PAHs are summarized major 

Of major environmental concern are mobile PAHs that vary in molecular weight from 128.16 (naphthalene, CioHg) to 300.36 (coronene, C24H12). Higher molecular weight PAHs are relatively immobile because of their large molecular volumes and their extremely 

About 43,000 metric tons of PAHs are discharged into the atmosphere each year, and another 230,000 tons enter aquatic environments (Table 26.2). PAHs are ubiquitous in nature as a consequence of synthesis in terrestrial vegetation, microbial synthesis, and volcanic activity, but quantities formed by these natural processes are small in comparison with those produced from forest and prairie fires and anthropogenic sources. Anthropogenic activities associated with significant production of PAHs include coke production in the iron and steel industry catalytic cracking in the petroleum industry the manufacture of carbon black, coal tar pitch. 

PAHs present in the atmosphere enter rain as a result of in-cloud and below-cloud scavenging. Total PAHs deposited on land and water are almost equivalent to PAH content in rainfall significant quantities of PAHs are found in presumed pollution-free areas, indicating the importance of rain in transport and distribution of PAHs. 

PAHs may reach aquatic environments in domestic and industrial sewage effluents, in surface runoff from land, from deposition 

---

Andren, A. W., Doucette, W. J., Dickhut, R. M. (1987) Methods for estimating solubilities of hydrophobic organic compounds Environmental modeling efforts. In Sources and Fates of Aquatic Pollutants. Hites, R. A., Eisenreich, S. J., Eds., pp. 3-26, Advances in Chemistry Series 216, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 

Sources for Table 1 include Kingery Allen s article on The Environmental Fate of Organophosphorous Nerve Agents, a Review which appeared in Toxilogical and Environmental Chemistry, V 47, pp 155-184, Overseas Publishers Association, Amsterdam, 1994... 

W. D. Bedsworth and D. L. Sedlak, Sources and Environmental Fate of Strongly Complexed Nickel in Estuariane Waters, Environ. Sci. Technol. 1999, 33, 926 B. Nowack, "Environmental Chemistry of Aminopolycarboxylate Chelating Agents, Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002,36, 4009. 

IPCS Environmental Health Criteria Documents reflect the collective view of an international group of experts and do not necessarily represent the decision or stated policy of UNEP, ILO, or WHO. The reports summarize and interpret the pertinent published literature. Unpublished information is used when published information is absent or when data are pivotal to the risk assessment. Adequate human data are preferred to animal data. Topics include physical chemistry sources of exposure environmental fate and transport concentrations in the environment and in humans pharmacokinetics effects from acute, subacute, and long-term exposure toxic effects on skin, eye, and reproduction mutagenesis and cancer. 

Provides chemical, physical, analytical, use, and toxicity data for nearly 1200 pesticides, herbicides, and other agricultural chemicals. Contains The Agrochemicals Handbook from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Environmental fate/transport, resistance information, and lists of manufacturers are also included. A companion tool from the Royal Society of Chemistry is the 3rd edition of the World Directory of Pesticide Control Organizations (ISBN 0-85404437X), which gives sources of contacts in over 160 organizations worldwide involved in the control of pesticides. 

---