US EPA

2708924 

Journal Article 

[Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons content in Antarctica soils as exemplified by the Russian polar stations] 

Abakumov, EV; Lodygin, ED; Gabov, DA; Krylenkov, VA 

2014 

1 

Gigiena i Sanitariya
ISSN: 0016-9900
EISSN: 2412-0650 

1 

31-35 

Russian 

24749277 

The comprehensive study of the qualitative and quantitative composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils of Antarctica (reference landscapes--mountains Hudson, Haswell Archipelago contaminated soil--Mirny, Druznaya-4, Bellingshausen--and imported soils) was performed with the use of HPLC in a gradient mode. A characteristic feature of the studied PAHs content of soils is the predominance of low-molecular polyarenes in them. Due to anthropogenic pollution the quantitative accumulation of both light and heavy PAHs occurs under the qualitative increase in the proportion of heavy polyarenes. Polyarenes pool in the studied soils is represented mainly by light PAHs: naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, etc. The content of benzo(a)pyrene does not exceed the MCL (adopted in the Russian Federation) for this ecotoxicant. Performed primary factual and statistical analysis of data permitted to reveal that heavy PAH pollution of Antarctica soils is in the most initial stage, there is no sustained and statistically significant accumulation of PAHs in soils of maritime as well as continental Antarctica. There are established the levels of the actual content of various PAHs in soils of different regions of the Antarctica, which is the basic data for further comparative analysis of data of geochemical studies.