Contamination of Environment with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in India

Environment in India is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) due to occurring of large anthropogenic activities i.e. fuel combustion, mineral roasting and biomass burning. Hence, contamination of 13 toxic PAHs: phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz (a) anthracene, ben-zo (b) fluoranthene, benzo (k) fluoranthene, benzo (a) pyrene, benzo (ghi) perylene, dibenz (ah) anthracene, indeno1,2,3-(cd) pyrene, coronene and coronene in the environment (i.e. ambient particulate matter, road dust, sludge and sewage) of the most industrialized area: Raipur city, India is described. The capital sigma PAH sub( 13) concentration in the 16 environment materials was ranged from 7980 - 1,051,300 mu g/kg with mean value of 172,613 plus or minus 154,726 mu g/kg. The concentration variations, toxicities and sources of the PAHs in various environmental compartments are discussed.