Assessment of Foliar Uptake and Accumulation of Airborne Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons Under Laboratory Conditions

Urban horticulture and community gardening have become more and more popular in the past years, however, the risk of bioaccumulation of atmospheric polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetables grown in polluted areas cannot be neglected. In our study, the No. 227 OECD GUIDELINE FOR THE TESTING OF CHEMICALS: Terrestrial Plant Test: Vegetative Vigour Test was followed to assess foliar uptake of PAHs from aqueous extract of an urban aerosol. Using lettuce (Lactuca sativa) as a test organism, significant accumulation was experienced. The highest bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were experienced for naphthalene and for anthracene, pyrene and fluoranthene showed the lowest bioaccumulation potential. BCF of each PAH showed strong correlation with molecular weight. The standard protocol defined by the Guideline made it possible to assess bioaccumulation pattern under controlled laboratory conditions.