"Determination of Particulate Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons at Piney Point State Park, MD

    This study looked at the particulate PAH concentration at Piney Point Lighthouse Park. The park is in a rural area of southern Maryland, and is in close proximity to an oil off-loading facility operated by Valero L.P. Samples were collected from September 2006-October 2006 using a high volume air sampler and 0.4?m glass fiber filters. After analysis by GC/MS, 16 priority PAHs were quantified. It was determined that PAH levels at Piney Point were elevated with respect to levels in other rural areas previously studied. Average PAH levels ranged from 50-350 ng m-3, roughly a 1-10x increase from other rural areas. The increase is most likely due to the Valero facility, but levels remain well below any danger level for humans. The highest concentration of PAH were the three largest molecules, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene.