Jeannette Gonzalez-Soto and Nedim Vardar
Air quality , PAHs, Explosion, Management of Environmental Risk
Effects of fuel storage tanks explosion on atmospheric concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in a residential site of Catano, Puerto Rico. A high volume sampler was deployed at the downwind of the accident site for the collection of atmospheric particles on a glass fiber filter, and vapor phase compounds on an adsorbent cartridge. Measured ambient PAH concentrations were classified as explosion and non-explosion samples due to additional PAHs coming out from the burning of fuel oil. The total concentrations of 15 PAHs varied from 7.4 to 82.9 ng/m3 and from 2.2 to 8.1 ng/m3 for the explosion and non-explosion samples, respectively. Mean total PAH concentrations detected in explosion samples were almost eight times higher than those of non-explosion samples. The other important fact observed from the results of the explosion samples is the presence of significantly higher concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene.
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