Distribution and sources of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air of Kamihaya, central Japan

Copyright © 2015 by The Geochemical Society of Japan. gations have shown the effects of PAHs on plants (Oguntimehin et al., 2010a, 2013). These studies indicated that PAHs could have chronic and accumulative effects on plants, leading to their becoming more vulnerable to a wide range of diseases, pests, and fungal infections (Oguntimehin et al., 2013). Even if the concentration of individual PAH in the atmosphere is low, they have the potential to cause increased phytotoxicity when present in combination with total PAHs and/or other chemicals (Oguntimehin et al., 2010a, b). For example, ozone was found to have an adverse effect on Japanese pine (Oguntimehin and Sakugawa, 2009) and cherry tomato (Oguntimehin et al., 2010b) in a chamber experiment in which it was administered at 120 ppb in combination with 10 mM fluoranthene (Flt) for 34 days, suggesting that Flt exacerbates the negative effects of ozone. Similarly, increased phytotoxicity was reported in response to the application of Flt in conjugation with acid mist (Oguntimehin et al., 2013). Plant damage caused by pollutants such as ozone and acid mist, even at low concentrations, increases in the presence of a single PAH, which suggests that this damage could further increase in the presence of many PAHs or other air pollutants. After the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, a conventional power generation plant (Gobo) that uses heavy oil as fuel was reactivated close (23 km) to our study area. About 20 years ago there was a large die-off of Japanese apricot plants in the area, which was suspected to be in response to air pollution from the nearest power generaDistribution and sources of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air of Kamihaya, central Japan