PAH-Copper

By: Qianna Nelson and Sabria Brown

=**PAH** =

=**Background** = = =

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. PAHs are the most common smaller and more volatile compounds found in oil. Mostly found in fossil fuels and a byproduct of burning coal and oil. PAHs occur in oil, coal, and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning. As a pollutant, they are of concern because some compounds have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. PAHs are also found in cooked foods, such as grilled meats. Some may cause cancer and have developmental and reproductive effects.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are lipophilic, meaning they mix more easily with oil than water. The larger compounds are less water-soluble and less volatile (Most likely to evaporate). Because of these properties, PAHs in the environment are found primarily in soil, sediment and oily substances, as opposed to in water or the air. However, they are also a component of concern in particulate matter suspended in air. PAHs are one of the most widespread organic pollutants. In addition to their presence in fossil fuels they are also formed by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels such as wood, coal, diesel, fat, tobacco, or incense. Different types of combustion yield different distributions of PAH's in both relative amounts of individual PAH's and in which isomers are produced. Thus coal burning produces a different mixture than motor-fuel combustion or a forest fire, making the compounds potentially useful as markers. =Abstract = Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are not necessarily made in labs or made to be used for anything in particular. They are by-products made from other chemicals that didn’t fully combust. PAH’s do not really have a one known use, there are only a few things that they are specifically used for such as coal, tar, some medicines or dyes, and moth repellent. PAH’s don’t really have to many good sides to them besides repelling bugs and some PAH’s help with products we use to build different things. PAH’s can be found any and everywhere since they are most commonly found in the environment. But China, India, Canada, Mexico, and Australia create the most PAH’s because they use a lot of fossil fuels and most PAH’s are found in them. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can affect the body. They get into your body by breathing them in, eating or drinking something that is contaminated by PAH's. They can also get into your body through your skin. The most major effect they have once they enter your body is they began to shredding your DNA. The shredding of DNA causes many different types of cancer. PAH’s can also lead death. PAHs also affect the environment. They react with almost every system. When they do they break down and turn into hydrocarbons, which are a type of green house gas. If you look at PAH’s from an economic and political point of view they are very important and we need them in our lives. For example most of our transportation methods, energy sources, and fire create PAH's. If we ban them we would have to change how we do our everyday tasks, but there would still be PAHs in the air because they are created from forest fires and volcanoes as well. So banning them or trying to be rid of them all they way is nearly impossible. Since they are formed in the environment. I don’t believe that we need to take extreme actions like banning all the PAH’s from the world because as stated before that is almost impossible, but I do believe that we need to find a way to limit the amount that are used so that we are not greatly affected by them.

=Human Health Implications = Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are all over our environment they can be found in our homes, outside, and where we work. We are not only exposed to just one PAH but a whole group of them. This makes it hard to tell which PAH's affect us and which don’t. PAH's are present in vapors. Just like dust the PAH's attach themselves to these vapors. Some of the vapors are cigarette smoke, asphalt roads, vehicle exhaust, coal, burning of any type of organic material, and hazardous waste sites. They run a multiple amount of tests in labs to see the effects of PAH. No tests have been done on humans, but from the test results on the animals scientist have come to the conclusion that the effect would be the same for humans. Since many of the results lead to cancer and/or death test on humans would be unpredictable. There may be no side effects or there could be dangerous and harmful. There are many dangers to our health that are caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs get into the body by breathing them in, eating or drinking if you eat something with PAH in it, and/or through your skin. The major effect they have once in the body is that they start to shred your DNA. The shredding of DNA then causes many different types of cancer. PAH's hit the weak places in the body causing cancer in those spots. Other illnesses caused by PAHs are Black lung, emphysema, along with other respiratory problems. Other systems involved include nerve system, endocrine, and reproductive.

=Environmental Implications = When polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released into the environment they most often go into the air as a gas or attach onto dust particles. They also are found in water and soil. PAH's do not dissolve well in water, they normally attach to solid particles and sink to the bottom. In water microorganisms are the ones that break down the PAH's, this process can take weeks and sometimes months to complete. In the air PAHs break down in a period of days or weeks. They react with sunlight and other chemicals in the air. When polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons break down it turns into hydrocarbons, a type of green house gas. PAH's can also be found in plants and animals. More PAH is normally found in them compared to soil and water. To dispose of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is to always have a full combustion where everything is burnt. But that is not really realistic. Another way is to enforce restrictions on the processes that PAHs are a by-product of.

=Synthesis/Production = PAH’s are not one of the most known substances. Most are created from motor vehicles, gas-burning engines, furnaces, cigarette smoke, industrial shoot and smoke. In nature they come from volcanoes, oil, and forest fires. In the United States the main PAH’s produced are acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and anthracite. Heating ethylene and benzene or naphthalene up makes some ways acenaphthene. Anthracene is made from recovering and purifying what is known as “green oil” from coal tar. To purify you must either heat or vacuum the substance to remove the contaminations. There are many U.S. companies that manufacture anthracene. The PAHs that are commercial produced are not a significant source of the compound found in the environment.

3C2H4 + C6H6 + O2 -> C12H10 + 4H2O 5C10H8 + O2 -> 4C12H10 + 2CO2 S + C12H18O4 -> C12H10 + 4H2O + S

The synthesis process is adding heat to the substance, as (PAH’s) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are created from an incomplete combustion happens. The incomplete combustion creates rings of carbon bonds that have not been fully broken. The rings, normally six, are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and energy that has been wasted. If a complete combustion occurs no PAHs are produced.

=Economic/Political Impact = If PAH’s were banned from our everyday life we would no longer have a lot of the things that we use all the time. Take for example our transportation, our energy sources, and the fire we use create PAH’s. If we banned PAH’s are by products or are made naturally in the environment. There are not alternatives for all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some we will never be able to replace. But we can replace our fuel source for cars, giving us more energy per gallon and getting rid of the PAH's. Also switching our energy source over from fossil fuel to nuclear or other alternative energy. The only problem would be the cost of these changes. And we could always accidentally create PAH’s like when we make the fuel for our transportation and any factories that run on fuel. We would not be aloud to burn any wood or have barbecues as they also produce PAHs. Lots of countries in the world that export polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, to form oil or tar. The United States exports some but it also imports PAHs. Some countries the United States imports from are; the Netherlands, France, West Germany, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. If polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were banned we would have to change the way we live. We would be forced to find alternatives for the things we use everyday. And we would have to get rid of certain products. Like mothballs for example. To make so many changes would cost a significant amount of money. There are regulations already in effect in factories and plants that produce PAHs to make sure there is not a huge amount in the air. If polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons wee banned the people who make oil an/or tar would be out o a job. And the United States would be mighty upset because oil is one of our main businesses.

=Link to PSA = http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c45e2504af93b658c5af