Time To Say Goodbye to the 16 EPA PAHs? Toward an up-to-date use of PACs for environmental purposes

Andersson J., Achten C.

Abstract

The 16 EPA PAHs have played an exceptionally large role above all in environmentaland analytical sciences in the last 40 years, but now there are good reasons to questiontheir utility in many circumstances even though their use is so established and comfortable.Here we review the reasons why the list has been so successful and why sometimesit is seen as less relevant. Three groups of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC)are missing: larger and highly relevant PAHs, alkylated PACs, and compounds containingheteroatoms. Attempts to improve the situation for certain matrixes are known andhere: (1) an updated list of PAHs (including the 16 EPA PAHs) for the evaluation ofthe toxicity in the environment (40 EnvPAHs); (2) a list of 23 NSO-heterocyclic compoundsand 6 heterocyclic metabolites; and (3) lists of 10 oxy-PAHs and 10 nitro-PAHsare proposed for practical use in the future. A discussion in the scientific communityabout these lists is invited. Although the state of knowledge has improved dramaticallysince the introduction of the 16 EPA PAHs in the 1970s, this summary also showsthat more research is needed about the toxicity, occurrence in the environment andchemical analysis, particularly of alkylated PAHs, higher molecular weight PAHs andsubstituted PACs such as amino-PAHs, cyano-PAHs, etc.. We also suggest that a longoverdue discussion of an update of regulatory environmental PAH analysis is initiated.©J. T. Andersson and C. AchtenThis is an Open Access article. Non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproductionin any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, cited, and is notaltered, transformed, or built upon in any way, is permitted. The moral rights of thenamed author(s) have been asserted.Received 12 November 2014; accepted 19 November 2014.Address correspondence to Jan T. Andersson, Institute of Inorganic and AnalyticalChemistry, University of Muenster, Corrensstrasse 30, 48149 Muenster, Germany.E-mail: anderss@uni-muenster.de1Downloaded by