%0 Journal Article %J Sci Total Environ %D 2017 %T Air-water exchange of PAHs and OPAHs at a superfund mega-site. %A Lane G Tidwell %A LB Paulik %A Kim A Anderson %X

Chemical fate is a concern at environmentally contaminated sites, but characterizing that fate can be difficult. Identifying and quantifying the movement of chemicals at the air-water interface are important steps in characterizing chemical fate. Superfund sites are often suspected sources of air pollution due to legacy sediment and water contamination. A quantitative assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxygenated PAH (OPAHs) diffusive flux in a river system that contains a Superfund Mega-site, and passes through residential, urban and agricultural land, has not been reported before. Here, passive sampling devices (PSDs) were used to measure 60 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 22 oxygenated PAH (OPAHs) in air and water. From these concentrations the magnitude and direction of contaminant flux between these two compartments was calculated. The magnitude of PAH flux was greater at sites near or within the Superfund Mega-site than outside of the Superfund Mega-site. The largest net individual PAH deposition at a single site was naphthalene at a rate of -14,200 (±5780) (ng/m(2))/day. The estimated one-year total flux of phenanthrene was -7.9×10(5) (ng/m(2))/year. Human health risk associated with inhalation of vapor phase PAHs and dermal exposure to PAHs in water were assessed by calculating benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentrations. Excess lifetime cancer risk estimates show potential increased risk associated with exposure to PAHs at sites within and in close proximity to the Superfund Mega-site. Specifically, estimated excess lifetime cancer risk associated with dermal exposure and inhalation of PAHs was above 1 in 1 million within the Superfund Mega-site. The predominant depositional flux profile observed in this study suggests that the river water in this Superfund site is largely a sink for airborne PAHs, rather than a source.

%B Sci Total Environ %8 2017 Mar 31 %G eng %R 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.185 %0 Audiovisual Material %D 2016 %T Air-Water Exchange of PAHs and OPAHs at a Superfund Mega-site %A Lane G Tidwell %A LB Paulik %A Kim A Anderson %K PAH OPAH Flux HHRA %X

Abstract:

Chemical fate is a concern at environmentally contaminated sites, but characterizing that fate can be difficult. An important component of characterizing fate is identifying and quantifying the movement of chemicals at the air-water interface.  Superfund sites are often suspected sources of air pollution due to legacy sediment and water contamination. A quantitative assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and oxygenated PAH (OPAH) diffusive flux in a river system that contains a Superfund Mega-site, and passes through residential, urban and agricultural land, has not been reported before. Here, passive sampling devices (PSD) were used to measure 60 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 22 oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) in the air and water. Human health risk associated with inhalation of vapor phase PAHs and dermal exposure to PAHs in water were assessed. Excess lifetime cancer risk estimates show potential increased risk at sites within and in close proximity to a Superfund Mega-site. Specifically, estimated excess lifetime cancer risk associated with inhaling PAHs was above 1 in 1 million within the Superfund Mega-site. We show the majority of PAHs and some OPAHs in the water are from airborne sources. The majority of PAHs detected in both environmental compartments, 16 out of 26, the direction of mass transfer at all five study sites was deposition. This suggests that the river water in this Superfund site is predominantly a sink for airborne PAHs and OPAHs, rather than a source.  

%B SETAC North America Orlando Florida %8 11/2016 %G eng