title: Relationship between PAHs Concentrations in Ambient Air and Deposited on Pine Needles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was carried out to determine whether or not pine needles can be used as passive samplers of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using the correlation between accumulated PAH concentrations in air (Ca, ng/m(3)) and those deposited on pine needles (Cp, ng/g dry).
  
  
  METHODS
  PAHs in ambient air was collected using low volume PUF sampler and pine needles was gathered at same place for 7 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  good correlation (R(2)=0.8582, p<0.05) was found between Ca and Cp for PAHs with a higher gaseous state in air (AcPy, Acp, Flu, Phen, Ant, Flt, Pyr, BaA and Chry), but there was a poorer correlation (R(2)=0.1491, p=0.5123) for the PAHs with a lower gaseous state (BbF, BkF, BaP, DahA, BghiP and Ind123). A positive correlation (R(2)=0.8542) was revealed between the logarithm of the octanol-air partitioning coefficient (logKoa) and Cp/Ca for the PAHs with a higher gaseous state in air, but there was a negative correlation (R(2)=0.8131) for the PAHs with a lower gaseous state. The Ca-Cp model could not be used to estimate PAHs concentrations in air using deposited PAHs concentrations on pine needles, but the logKoa-Cp/Ca model could be used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was found that pine needles can be used as passive samplers of atmospheric PAHs.
authors: Department of Environmental Engineering, Hankyung National University, Anseong, Korea.
authors: Man Young
authors: MY
authors: Chun