| Chemical Abstract Number (CAS #) |
191242
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| Synonyms | Benzo(ghi)perylene |
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| Analytical Methods |
EPA Method 525 |
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EPA Method 610 |
EPA Method 625 |
EPA Method 8100 |
EPA Method 8250A |
EPA Method 8310 |
| Molecular Formula | C22H12 |
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| Use | Small amounts are used for scientific research.
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| Apparent Color | Large, pale yellow-green plates (recrystallized from xylene)
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| Boiling Point | 550 DEG C AT 760 MM HG
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| Melting Point | 277 DEG C
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| Molecular Weight | 276.34
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| Environmental Impact | Benzo(ghi)perylene is a component of crude oil and a product of combustion which may
be produced and released to the environment during natural fires. Emissions from petroleum
refining, coal tar distillation, and the combustion of wood, coal, oil, propane, gasoline and diesel
fuels are major contributors of benzo(ghi)perylene to the environment. Benzo(ghi)perylene is not
commercially produced in the USA; however, benzo(ghi)perylene may be released to the
environment through industrial effluents, municipal waste water treatment facilities and waste
incinerators. Benzo(ghi)perylene biodegrades slowly in the environment. The reported
biodegradation half-lives for benzo(ghi)perylene in aerobic soil range from 600 to 650 days.
Benzo(ghi)perylene is not expected to hydrolyze in the environment. A calculated Koc range of
9X10 4 to 4X10 5 indicates benzo(ghi)perylene will be highly immobile in soil. In aquatic
systems, benzo(ghi)perylene partitions from the water column to organic matter contained in
sediments and suspended solids. Benzo(ghi)perylene also has the potential to bioconcentrate in
aquatic systems. A Henry's Law constant of 1.6X10-6 atm-cu m/mole at 25 deg C suggests
volatilization of benzo(ghi)perylene from shallow, fast moving environmental waters may be
important. The volatilization half-lives from a model river and a model pond, the latter considers
the effect of adsorption, have been estimated to be 38 days and over 1500 years, respectively. In
the atmosphere, the vapor phase reaction with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals
(half-life of 2 hr) may be an important fate process. However, benzo(ghi)perylene is expected to
exist almost entirely in the particulate phase in ambient air. Nevertheless, benzo(ghi)perylene may
undergo direct photolysis in the atmosphere. Photolytic half-lives of benzo(ghi)perylene adsorbed
onto silica gel, alumina, fly ash and carbon black were 7, 22, 29 and greater than 1000 hours,
respectively. The most probable human exposure would be occupational exposure, which may
occur through dermal contact or inhalation at places where benzo(ghi)perylene is produced as a
waste by-product. Atmospheric workplace exposures have been documented. Non-occupational
exposures would most likely occur via urban atmospheres, smoked and barbecued foods,
contaminated drinking water supplies and recreational activities at contaminated waterways.
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| Environmental Fate | OCCURRENCE AND POTENTIAL UPTAKE OF POLYNUCLEAR AROMATICS
(INCLUDING BENZO(GHI)PERYLENE) OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ORIGIN BY
PROXIMALLY GROWN FOOD CROPS ARE DISCUSSED.
TERRESTRIAL FATE: In the atmosphere, adsorption to stabilizing substrates will allow
benzo(ghi)perylene to be transported over long distances in the atmospheric aerosol. Its detection
in the remote rural air of South Carolina and in sediments from remote lakes in the Adirondack
Forest, NY may indicate that long-range transport occurs. Removal of adsorbed
benzo(ghi)perylene from the atmosphere may occur by wet and dry deposition. Its presence in
lake sediments in the Adirondack Forest, NY, has been attributed to physical deposition.
ATMOSPHERIC FATE: If released to the atmosphere, benzo(ghi)perylene will exist almost
entirely in the particulate (adsorbed) phase. The rate of photolysis has been found to vary with the
adsorbing substrate; photolysis of benzo(ghi)perylene adsorbed to fly ash may have some
importance, but adsorption to carbon black stabilizes the compound toward potential
phototransformation.
TERRESTRIAL FATE: The reported biodegradation half-lives for benzo(ghi)perylene in
aerobic soil range from 600 to 650 days . Benzo(ghi)perylene is not expected to undergo
hydrolysis in soils; yet, should undergo direct photolysis on sunlit surface soils. Photolytic
half-lives of benzo(ghi)perylene adsorbed onto silica gel, alumina, fly ash and carbon black were
7, 22, 29 and greater than 1000 hours, respectively . A calculated Koc range of 9X10 4 to
4X10 5 , indicates benzo(ghi)perylene will be highly immobile in soil .
AQUATIC FATE: Aerobic aqueous screening test data and soil grab sample data suggest the
biodegradation of benzo(ghi)perylene in aquatic systems will be slow. Benzo(ghi)perylene is not
expected to undergo hydrolysis in environmental waters. However, benzo(ghi)perylene may
undergo direct photolysis in sunlit waters . Monitoring data and an estimated Koc ranging in the
highly immobile class for soil , suggests benzo(ghi)perylene will partition from the water
column to organic matter contained in sediments and suspended solids. Benzo(ghi)perylene also
has the potential to bioconcentrate in aquatic systems. A Henry's Law constant of 1.6X10-6
atm-cu m/mole at 25 deg C suggests volatilization of benzo(ghi)perylene from shallow, fast
moving environmental waters may be important . Based on this Henry's Law constant, the
volatilization half-life from a model river has been estimated to be 38 days(3,SRC). The
volatilization half-life from a model pond, which considers the effect of adsorption, has been
estimated to be over 1500 years(4,SRC).
ATMOSPHERIC FATE: If released to the atmosphere as a gas, the vapor phase reaction of
benzo(ghi)perylene with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals is likely to be an important
fate process. The rate constant for the vapor-phase reaction of benzo(ghi)perylene with
photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals has been estimated to be 2.0X10-10 cu
cm/molecule-sec at 25 deg C; which corresponds to an atmospheric half-life of about 2 hours at
an atmospheric concn of 5X10 5 hydroxyl radicals per cu cm . However, based upon a vapor
pressure of 1.0X10-10 mm Hg at 25 deg C , benzo(ghi)perylene is expected to exist almost
entirely in the particulate phase in ambient air . Nevertheless, benzo(ghi)perylene may undergo
direct photolysis in the atmosphere. Photolytic half-lives of benzo(ghi)perylene adsorbed onto
silica gel, alumina, fly ash and carbon black were 7, 22, 29 and greater than 1000 hours,
respectively .
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| Drinking Water Impact | It has been identified in surface water (0.3-28.5 ng/l); tap water (0.8-7.1 ng/l); rain
water (2.3-10.8 ng/l); subterranean water (0.7-6.4 ng/l); & waste water (0.4-2.8 ug/l).
In an analysis of the USEPA STORET database, benzo(ghi)perylene was positively detected in
1.0% of 914 surface water observation stations and 1.5% of 1211 effluent reporting stations.
Benzo(ghi)perylene was detected at concn of 7.3 ug/g (dry sediment) in the sediment and 2.0
ug/l in the water in an effluent wastewater channel from a coking plant. Levels <90 ug/l in
wastewaters from two coal coking plants. were detected
DRINKING WATER: Benzo(ghi)perylene was listed as a contaminant found in drinking
water .
SURFACE WATER: Benzo(ghi)perylene is listed as a contaminant of Great Lakes Ontario,
Erie, Michigan and Superior including Lake St Clair . Benzo(ghi)perylene had a median concn
less than 10 ug/L and tested positive in 1.0% of 914 ambient waters in surface waters from EPA's
STORET database . Benzo(ghi)perylene was detected at 2 of 4 sampling stations along the
Mississippi River at an average concn of 7 ng/L .
GROUNDWATER: Benzo(ghi)perylene was detected in a coal tar contaminated aquifer in St
Louis Park, MN . Benzo(ghi)perylene was listed as a ground water contaminant in the
Netherlands .
RAIN/SNOW: Rain water in Witteveen, de Bilt, Vlissingen and Biest-houtakker, Netherlands
contained benzo(ghi)perylene at concn up to from 125, 145, 142 and 241 ng/L with average
concn of 39, 68, 61 and 55 ng/L, respectively .
EFFL: It has been identified in sludge (200-1220 ug/kg) and freeze-dried sewage sludge
samples (400-8700 ug/kg)
Benzo(ghi)perylene was detected in 1.5% of 1211 effluent reporting stations. Also levels of <90
ug/l in wastewater and 2.0 ug/l in the water in an effluent wastewater channel from a coking plant
/were detected/.
Benzo(ghi)perylene was identified as a stack emission and a component of fly and grate ash from
municipal waste incinerators . A sewage sludge incinerator emitted benzo(ghi)perylene to the
air at concn ranging from 0.2 to 5.0 ug/cu m . Effluent from the Bekkelaget sewage treatment
plant benzo(ghi)perylene at concn less than 21 and 16 ng/L after dry and rainy days in Nov
1979 . Benzo(ghi)perylene was identified as a component of sewage sludge(8).
Benzo(ghi)perylene comprised between 9 and 15% of the PAH in municipal sewage sludge(6).
Municipal refuse and compost from municipal refuse also contained benzo(ghi)perylene(6). The
combustion of a diesel fuel containing benzo(ghi)perylene at a concn of 26.3 ng/mL emitted
benzo(ghi)perylene at rates of less than 2.0, 35, 12, 8.3, 20 and 1636 ug/hr . Exhaust gas of a
light oil and n-decane diesel fuels contained benzo(ghi)perylene at concn of 5.6 and 14.9 ug/cu
m . Gasoline fueled vehicles also emit benzo(ghi)perylene(9). Benzo(ghi)perylene comprised
0.015% of the particulate matter emitted from traffic in the Caldecott Tunnel east of Berkeley,
CA(10). Benzo(ghi)perylene was emitted from the combustion of propane(7).
Both the biotreatment and final effluents of a Class B and E oil refinery contained
benzo(ghi)perylene at concn of less than 0.2, and less than 1 ug/L, respectively .
Benzo(ghi)perylene was identified as a product of coal combustion . The combustion of coal
liquids with 3% oxygen emitted benzo(ghi)perylene at concn ranging from 6.6 to 46.9 ug/cu m
with an average of 23.0 ug/cu m for 20 samples . The carbon black combustion product of coal
tar contained benzo(ghi)perylene at a concn of 7.0 mg/g . Coal combustion leaked
benzo(ghi)perylene to indoor air at a concn of 7.1 ug/cu m . The effluent channel form a coking
plant contained benzo(ghi)perylene in the water and sediments at concn of 2.0 ug/L and 7.3 ug/g,
respectively(6). Residential coal and oil burning emit benzo(ghi)perylene(7). Coal dust containing
benzo(ghi)perylene at 3,641 ng/g leached from piles of coal in VA(8).
Wastewater from the gaseous diffusion plant operated by Union Carbide at Oak Ridge, TN
contained benzo(ghi)perylene . Emissions from the pouring, cooling and shakeout of aluminum
castings contained benzo(ghi)perylene at an average concn of 31 ug/kg . Benzo(ghi)perylene
had a median concn less than 10 ug/L and tested positive in 1.5% of 1,211 industrial discharges in
waste waters from EPA's STORET database . Non-air tight and air tight wood burning stoves
emitted benzo(ghi)perylene to indoor air at average concn of 105 and 1.5 ng/cu m for 11 and 7
samples, respectively . Non-air tight and air tight wood burning stoves emitted
benzo(ghi)perylene to outdoor air at average concn of 1.73 and 1.11 ng/cu m for 4 and 7 samples,
respectively . The 1978 Amoco Cadiz oil spill emitted benzo(ghi)perylene to the waters and
coastal environment of northern France . A power plant in Boston, MA emitted
benzo(ghi)perylene to the ambient air at an estimated concn of 5.2X10-7 ug/cu m(6). Effluents
from refineries, petrochemical industry, metallurgic industry and municipal wastewater treatment
plants in Norway contained benzo(ghi)perylene with a 68% frequency of appearance(7). Domestic
fire soot contained benzo(ghi)perylene at concn ranging from 1 to 29 ug/cu m with an average of
11 ng/cu m for 12 samples collected at Christchurch, New Zealand(8).
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