Exploratory Analysis of the Incidence of Nitro-Naphthalenes in the of Airborne Particulate Matter from Petrochemical Influence Area

Abstract

Airborne­ particulate­ matter­ samples­ collected­ in­ sites­ under­ petrochemical­ influence,­ in­ Triunfo­ city­ –­ Rio­ Grande­ do­ Sul,­ Brazil,­were­analyzed­by­GC/MS-SIM­for­nitro-naphthalenes.­Total­Suspended­Particulates­(TSP)­samples­collected­monthly,­ during­ summer,­ autumn,­ winter­ and­ spring­ of­ 2000­ and­ grouped­ into­ three­ pools,­ January-April;­ May-August;­ September- December,­ and­ three­ samples­ of­ particulate­ matter­ PM10,­ corresponding­ to­ the­ months­ of­ February,­ June­ and­ August­ of­ 2005­were­analyzed.­The­organic­extracts,­obtained­by­sonication­with­dichloromethane,­were­previously­investigated­for­the­ presence of nitrocompounds with mutagenicity activity, using Salmonella/microsome assay with sensitive strains for these substances.­The­mutagenic­response­was­observed­for­all­samples­in­different­levels,­demonstrating­the­presence­of­mono­and­ dinitro-PAHs­ in­ the­ extracts.­ The­ chromatographic­ analysis­ allowed­ verifying­ the­ predominance­ of­ dinitronaphthalenes­ for­ the­samples­corresponding­to­the­winter­months,­both­for­PTS­sample,­May-August,­and­PM10­samples,­relative­to­June­and­ August.­These­results­allowed­characterizing,­in­agreement­with­the­mutagenic­assay,­the­presence­of­nitronaphthalenes­in­the­ samples.