Concentrations of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons compounds in the air emissions from burning of garbage, Derna, Libya

This study was conducted in Derna, Libya. Due to the failure of the local authorities in the city to dispose of the remnants of the houses, the residents resorted to burning them due to the spread of unpleasant odors and flying insects. Since these wastes contain different sizes of empty plastic containers and the remains of detergent boxes, household insecticides and others, the air pollution with organic compounds as a result of smoke resulting from the burning process is very likely, and the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) has set the permissible limit of use of these compounds in atmospheric air should not exceed 0.2 mgm-3. The important six sites for the incineration of garbage in the city were chosen to collect the air produced by the burning. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) used to determine the polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results from studying polluted air at these sites showed the presence of the following PAHs compounds: Fluorene – Fluoranthene- Pyrene- chrysene – Naphthalene- Anthracene, with concentrations that exceeded the permissible limits according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).