Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Soils of Miami, Florida.

Use of vehicles in dense urban areas may lead to liberation of greater amounts of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) due to incomplete combustion of gasoline. These PAHs may then be dispersed into vapor and particle phases before depositing in the soil. The fate and transport of PAHs to surface and ground waters is determined by a multitude of factors that regulate their sorption, solubility, and mobility.  To investigate the risk of PAHs contamination in an urban setting, soil samples were collected from three predominant land use categories in Miami; specifically residential, commercial, and public buildings. The extent and variability of PAHs in these land use categories was related to the content of organic matter and metals to determine the effectiveness of soils to attenuate PAHs. The PAHs were classified into carcinogenic (such as benzo-a-pyrene) and non-carcinogenic (such as naphthalene) groups.  The information about nature and extent of PAHs in urban soils would lead to development of solutions to mitigate their harmful effects.