title: Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in New York City community garden soils: Potential sources and influential factors.
abstract: A total of 69 soil samples from 20 community gardens in New York City (New York, USA) were collected and analyzed for 23 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and black carbon. For each garden, samples were collected from nongrowing areas (non-bed) and from vegetable-growing beds, including beds with and without visible sources of PAHs. The sum of the US Environmental Protection Agency's 16 priority PAHs ranged up to 150 mg/kg, and the median (5.4 mg/kg) and mean (14.2 mg/kg) were similar to those previously reported for urban areas in the northeast United States. Isomer ratios indicated that the main sources of PAHs were petroleum, coal, and wood combustion. The PAH concentrations were significantly and positively associated with black carbon and with modeled air PAH concentrations, suggesting a consistent relationship between historical deposition of atmospheric carbon-adsorbed PAHs and current PAH soil concentrations. Median PAH soil concentration from non-bed areas was higher (7.4 mg/kg) than median concentration from beds in the same garden (4.0 mg/kg), and significantly higher than the median from beds without visible sources of PAHs (3.5 mg/kg). Median PAH concentration in beds from gardens with records of soil amendments was 58% lower compared with beds from gardens without those records. These results suggest that gardening practices in garden beds without visible sources of PAHs contribute to reduce PAH soil concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Lydia G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Marquez-Bravo
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shayler
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lopp
authors.affiliation: GreenThumb, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Edie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.affiliation: Cornell University Cooperative Extension, New York City, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Gretchen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferenz
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Bogdan
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Spliethoff
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D007536:Isomerism; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009519:New York City; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014675:Vegetables
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002244:Carbon
keywords: Atmospheric deposition; Black carbon; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Soil; Urban community gardens