Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Sources, Toxicity, and Remediation Approaches

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are wide-spread across the globe, mainly due to long-term anthropogenic sources of pollution. The inherent properties of PAHs such as hetero-cyclic aromatic ring structures, hydrophobicity and thermostability have made them recalcitrant and highly persistent in the environment. PAH pollutants have been determined to be highly toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and immunotoxicogenic to various life forms. Therefore, this review discusses the primary sources of PAHs emissions, exposure routes and their toxic effects on humans, in particular. This review briefly summarizes the physical and chemical PAH remediation approaches such as membrane filtration, soil…

• DO
  Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India

  Award: BT/01/CEIB/09/V/05
• CO
  Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India