Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in leaf cuticles and inner tissues of six species of trees in urban Beijing

Leaf samples of six tree species were collected along urban roadsides and a campus site in Beijing for measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs in leaves were attributed to two fractions, leaf cuticles and inner leaf tissues, using sequential extraction. Total concentrations of 16 PAHs in the cuticles and the inner tissues were 69.3 ± 64.6 μg g−1(d.w.) and 1.07 ± 0.2 μg g−1(d.w.) at roadside and 57.5 ± 52.6 μg g−1 and 0.716 ± 0.2 μg g−1 on campus, respectively. The lipid-normalized inner tissue PAHs varied from 5.8 μg g−1 to 15.0 μg g−1. Similarities in PAH spectra between leaf cuticles and airborne particles and between the inner tissues and gaseous phase imply that airborne particulates and gaseous PAHs are likely the sources of PAHs for cuticles and the inner tissues, respectively. Difficulty in migration of heavier PAHs into inner tissues could be another reason.