title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rainwater.
abstract: A study on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in rainwater was carried out over periods of at least one year at two locations in Belgium with different environments. Maximum amounts and concentrations of PAH were reached during the winter period, mainly due to household heating. This influence was also reflected in the relative proportions of the six PAH measured. For comparable periods the amounts of PAH were almost proportional to the quantity of rain. With the available data, and as most of the rainfall is coming from the same wind direction, it was not feasible to localise possible pollution sources based upon the distribution of PAH over the different windsectors, nor was it possible to identify significant differences for both sampling locations due to their different surroundings, indicating that the rain plays an important role in the transport and distribution of pollutants over a wide area. Between about 100 and 170 micrograms m-2 PAH and 2 to 3 g m-2 of total organic carbon content (TOC) per year were deposited by the rain, corresponding to mean concentrations of about 140 ngl-1 of PAH and 2.9 mgl-1 of TOC.
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D011891:Rain; D012621:Seasons; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*; D014887:Weather; D014919:Wind
chemical_list: D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon