Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitro‐derivatives in farm road and barn dust

Road and barn dust samples were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrated polycyclic hydrocarbons (nitro‐PAHs). For this purpose, suitability of optimised HPLC with fluorimetric detection and GC/MS, both preceded by Soxhlet extraction of samples, gel permeation chromatography and HPLC with silica gel column for clean‐up, fractionation and preconcentration of the analytes, were compared. The detection limits of GC/MS for 16 PAHs ranged from 5 to 10 pg. The detection limits of GC/MS for 11 nitro‐PAHs ranged from 20 to 60 pg and those of on‐line reduction HPLC with fluorescence detection from 0.5 to 5 pg. Therefore, procedures with a higher separation efficiency and a more selective detection, such as GC/MS should be preferred when low concentrations of nitro‐PAHs are expected. PAH concentrations in road dust and barn dust samples ranged from 527 to 5680 μg/kg, and from 114 to 740 μg/kg, respectively. Nitro‐PAHs were detected in one sample of barn dust and two samples of road dust. Th...