Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons Using GC-MS
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are byproducts of burning fuels, such as mineral oils, and are
known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. These compounds are regulated in many
countries as harmful pollutants in environmental water and the atmosphere. In Japan, the "Measuring
method manual for toxic air pollutants" and "Measuring method manual for polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) in exhaust gas emissions" were revised in March 2011. In addition, environmental
standards, including fine particle regulations (PM2.5) and fine particles, can include PAHs. Consequently,
there is an increasing need to measure PAHs. This application datasheet introduces an example of
measuring 36 PAHs.