Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
The study of air quality is of extreme importance for human health and quality of life, especially in large cities. One of the main indicators is the concentration of particulate matter (PM), namely, its composition and size. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most dangerous compounds associated with PM because of their carcinogenicity and mutagenicity, with benzo(a)pyrene being analyzed and standardized as a priority pollutant. Hundreds of PAHs are divided into three groups: low, medium, and high molecular weight, and their relative presence in the gas and solid phases is determined by their properties and environmental conditions. PAHs emission sources are mainly related to low-temperature processes of natural and anthropogenic origin. The analysis of PAHs in both phases is a challenge for scientific researchers, mainly due to their low concentrations. The attempts are focused on development of methods that are both accurate and with high-resolution, and at the same time do not require long time and efforts for sample collection, preparation, analysis and data interpretation. The use of various filters, sampling techniques and analytical methods for identifying the PAHs therein, are mainly aimed on optimizing the overall analysis process and obtaining the most reliable results. Data for PAHs not only give information about the quality of atmospheric air on a global scale, but also allow identifying the sources of pollution and appreciate the health risk for the population. The latter allows to take management decisions how to improve the air quality and the environment.
Veli et al. (Mon,) studied this question.