Assessment of PAH content in soil and aboveground parts of Lolium perenne L. next to the communication arteries of the urban agglomeration

Abstract

The research on the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and grass ( Lolium perenne L.) was carried out on samples collected in the city of Białystok, in north-eastern Poland. The test samples came from green belts in the vicinity of communication routes, differentiated in terms of the surrounding buildings and infrastructure and characterized by a different car traffic intensity. The highest total concentration of all sixteen PAHs in soil and grass samples was found near a large intersection at Nicholas Copernicus Street, one of the most important communication routes connecting two parts of the city. In the aboveground parts of the studied grass samples, benzo[a]pyrene was the most abundant, its content ranging from 53.8 μg/kg DM up to 91.7 μg/kg DM. On the other hand, in soil samples, much higher benzo[a]pyrene content was found, and the dominance of this compound was observed in almost every measurement location. Based on the obtained results, it was found that car traffic is a significant source of PAH emissions to the urban soil environment and urban greenery. The squares and green belts located along communication routes and intersections are the most exposed to pollution.