SOIL CONTAMINATION BY PCBs AND PAHs RELATED TO THE PAINT INDUSTRY

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are both persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic organic pollutants with aromatic structures and similar environmental behaviour. They accumulate in soil and sediments, and bioaccumulate in living organisms, leading to long-term ecological and human health risks. Unlike PCBs which have been used in industry for a long time, PAHs were not intentionally produced or used. An important global source of PCBs and PAHs is their unintentional formation during the manufacture of paints, dyes, adhesives, and pigments. The present study focuses on soil contamination with PCBs and PAHs potentially originating from paint use. Soil samples were collected from 18 points located in the proximity of paint factories. Gas chromatography with electron capture detector was used to determine the PCBs content and liquid chromatography with UV-VIS detection was used for PAHs determination. The results show that PCB 52 is present at concentrations reaching the alert threshold, which may be attributed to its formation as an unintended by-product during pigment manufacturing. Among the PAHs, fluoranthene and pyrene have the highest concentrations.