Nitrated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air in Italy. A brief overview

When nitrated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAH) were recognised as long-term toxic compounds and were also identified in several anthropogenic emissions and among the by-products of photochemical smog they became objects of investigation in ambient air in both polluted and clean environments. In Italy the first investigations focussing on atmospheric NPAH were performed in the early eighties and encompassed both the canyon streets and dwelling areas of Rome. Because NPAH were indicated as markers of vehicle emission, new investigations were performed in other cities and also in rural and (nominally) unpolluted locations. In general, the first measurements of NPAH were episodic and could not be assumed to be strictly representative of the sites investigated. In contrast, nowadays consistent data bases on NPAH have been built up and are discussed in the technical literature, so that both neat concentrations and the yearly timed variation of the most important NPAH congeners have been measured in Italian air. Although concentrations of NPAH in air are usually much lower than those of PAH, owing to their very high potency in inducing mutations and tumours NPAH are regarded as having an important health impact on populations living in Italian urban areas. In this regard the genotoxicity of atmospheric aerosols is partly associated with nitrofluoranthenes and nitropyrenes whereas nitronaphthalenes and methylnitronaphthalenes seem to contribute to that of the gaseous organic fraction. Several civic and regional administrations are introducing control of atmospheric NPAH among ways of improving air quality in cities.