Determination of particulate phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitrated and oxygenated derivatives using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The LOQ values ranged at pg m−3 level for the investigated PAHs (42 pg m−3), oxy-PAHs (either 42 or 83 pg m−3) and nitro-PAHs (either 83 or 167 pg m−3) as well. The developed method was applied for the quantitative determination of PAHs, nitro- and oxy-PAHs in urban PM2.5 (particles with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm) samples (n = 36) collected in Budapest, Hungary. Almost 100% of the PM2.5 samples contained the investigated PAHs and oxy-PAHs in detectable and quantifiable amounts; however, the concentration of the nitro-PAHs was generally lower than the corresponding LOD/LOQ values. According to our results, during the 3-year long sampling campaign the concentration of benzo(a)pyrene never exceeded the limit value (1 ng m−3) set by the European Commission.