Environmental pollution by benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[k]fluoranthene in Malta

The presence of benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[k]fluoranthene in various phases of the environment in clean and more polluted urban sites around Malta was determined in order to give an indication of the hazards people inhabiting urban sites are exposed to. Benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[k]fluoranthene, formed during the combustion of organic materials, may be taken as indicators of the exposure to PAHs. Benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[k]fluoranthene pollution was determined in airborne particulate matter, street dust and cistern water. The method of analysis utilized involved the extraction of the PAHs from an environmental sample, separation of BaP and BkF from the other organic constituents using liquid column chromatography and determination of the concentrations using fluorescence emission. The concentrations of BaP and BkF are not spatially homogeneous throughout urban atmospheres. The high levels of BaP and BkF obtained in certain arterial roads and congested roadways are alarming when considering that the WHO does not quote a safe level for PAHs due to their carcinogenicity.