Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons: Review of a Global Environmental Issue

Abstract

The toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic nature of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) makes the study of their generation and proliferation important from an environmental pollution perspective. Earlier studies have reported the presence of PAHs in all the environmental matrices. Some of the PAHs are used for manufacturing and processing of different products like plastics, leather, dyes, and pesticides. Both natural and anthropogenic activities, biosynthesis, industrial processes, oil spillage, and domestic products are different sources of these compounds in the environment. Different researchers reported the studies on risk and removal of PAHs. The key objective of this study was to review the information available on different aspects of monitoring the PAHs. Some of the aspects are sample collection, pretreatment techniques, and methods for the analysis of samples of different matrices. This study also examines the risk due to the presence of PAHs, different existing techniques for the removal of PAHs, and the routes necessary to be traversed for future endeavors in this area.