The concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the soil samples and the mutagenicity of benzene extracts from the soil samples on the roadsides in Kitakyushu City (11 samples), Kyushu Highway (21 samples) and Chugoku Highway Tunnel (13 samples) were investigated in 1986. The following results were obtained:
1. The average concentrations of tar in the soil samples in the three areas were almost the same from 24.2 to 29.8 mg/ g of soil.
2. The concentrations of the three PAH in the three areas were in the following order:
Benzo [ghi] perylene> Benzo [a] pyrene> Benzo [k] fluoranthene
The average PAH concentration in Kitakyushu City was, higher than those in the other two areas, and which were almost the same.
3. All tar material from the soil samples were mutagenis, and the mutagenicity with S-9mix was about twofold higher than that without S-9mix.
4. The contribution of Benzo [a] pyrene for the mutagenic activity of the soil samples was less than 2% and was very low at 0.06%, which is similar to that of airbone particulates, in Chugoku Highway tunnel.
5. The concentration ratio of Benzo [a] pyrene/Beuzo [ghi] perylene in the soil samples was 0.78 in Kitakyushu
City and about 0.4 in the other two areas. The causes of this ratio in Kitakyushu City is automobile exhaust and stack effluent from heavy chemical industry, but the soil samples in the other two are polluted mainly by auto mobile exhaust.
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