Polyaromatic hydrocarbons environmental contamination

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons represent a class of compounds of great environmental concern due to their suspected mutagenic and carcinogenic properties [42-47]. Unease over the potential adverse health effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is evident in the recent inclusion of P6 polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the Environmental Protection Agency s priority contaminates list. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminates pose several potential health risks due to the persistence of these compounds in the environment [48,49], their tendency to strongly bind to soil surfaces [50-52], and their presence in a wide variety of common media (air, dust, soil and food) [53]. Possible risks are associated with skin contact, inhalation or ingestion of contaminated dust, soil, or air, and ingestion of contaminated food. 

Kucklick JR and Bidleman TF (1994) Organic contaminants in winyah bay, south Carolina Pesticides and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in subsurface and microlayer waters. Marine Environmental Research 37 63-79. 

Biological monitoring techniques such as immunoassays are now available for environmental analysis. These form the basis of low cost, rapid, and highly selective kits for the determination of specific compounds or classes of compounds, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides, in food, water, and soil matrices. They are simple to use and are well suited to screening sites for contamination prior to sampling and laboratory analysis. Immunoassays can also be applied to blood and urine samples for assessing the exposure of organisms to contaminants. 

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