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. 1983 Jan;47:103–114. doi: 10.1289/ehp.8347103

The fate of airborne polycyclic organic matter.

T Nielsen, T Ramdahl, A Bjørseth
PMCID: PMC1569402  PMID: 6825615

Abstract

Biological tests have shown that a significant part of the mutagenicity of organic extracts of collected airborne particulate matter is not due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). It is possible that part of these unknown compounds are transformation products of PAH. This survey focuses on the reaction of PAH in the atmosphere with other copollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, ozone and free radicals and their reaction products. Photochemically induced reactions of PAH are also included. The reactivity of particle-associated PAH is discussed in relation to the chemical composition and the physical properties of the carrier. Recommendations for future work are given.

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Selected References

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