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PERSISTENCE AND FATE OF POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS DEPOSITED ON SLASH BURN SITES IN THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS AND COAST RANGE OF OREGON
Citation:
Sullivan, T. AND M. Mix. PERSISTENCE AND FATE OF POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS DEPOSITED ON SLASH BURN SITES IN THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS AND COAST RANGE OF OREGON. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-85/034.
Description:
The persistence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAH) on slash burn sites and movement of these compounds between compartments of the sites has been investigated in the Cascade Mountains and Coast Range of Oregon. Phenanthrene and fluoranthene were gradually lost from the litter, reaching concentrations below detection limits (approximately 2g/ha) less than two years after burning. Higher molecular weight PNAH were more persistent in the litter, decreasing after five years approximately to 19-23% of initial deposition. Differential persistence and fate of PNAH on slash burn sites is explained by physical chemical characteristics of the compounds, such as solubility, vapor pressure, and octanol-water partition coefficient.