the relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals

background : heavy metals and pah s in flue gas have received considerable attention in recent years due to their mutagenic or carcinogenic properties. pah s are products of incomplete combustion of carbonaceous compounds at high temperatures. heavy metals are released into the ambient air from the same sources as those earlier mentioned for pah s . the present study was carried out to investigate the influence of the quantity of heavy metals on pah s formation in ambient air. methods : in this study, air particulates were collected on glass fiber filters using a high- volume air sampler. each filter was exactly cut into equal pieces. one piece was digested with hno 3 as well as h 2 o 2 and used for determination of heavy metals. another piece was extracted using soxhlet method. the latter was used for the determination of pah s . the concentrations of heavy metals (cr, cd, cu, pb, and zn) were measured using perkin- elmer atomic absorption spectrometer. the concentration of pah s was measured by a pu4400 gas chromatograph equipped with fid detector. the concentrations of pah s and heavy metals were determined in different seasons. results : the results showed that the concentration of pah s was minimum in the weekend and holidays, but maximum in winter. the relationship between ambient air concentrations of pah s and heavy metals was investigated and an excellent agreement was found. the general trend of variations in concentration of heavy metals were found very similar to pah s , therefore it could be concluded that the source of pollution was the same for both of pollutants. conclusion : the general trend of variations in concentration of heavy metals was found very similar to pah s , therefore it could be concluded that the source of pollution was the same for both of pollutants.