Toxic photoproducts of phenanthrene in sunlight
- Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Biology
Phenanthrene, one of the most prevalent PAHs, undergoes a significant increase in toxicity on exposure to sunlight. Over a period of several days exposure to light, the toxicity of an aqueous phenanthrene solution increased dramatically. This increase in toxicity is largely due to the primary photoproduct, 9,10-phenanthrenequinone. This compound is more toxic than phenanthrene at equimolar concentrations, and is more water soluble than phenanthrene, increasing its bioavailability. Although many PAHs are potent photosensitizers, phenanthrene did not exhibit a significant increase in toxicity due to photosensitization. Photo-oxidation was the principal cause of photoinduced toxicity, with 9,10-phenanthrenequinone being formed via an unstable intermediate. In addition, mixtures of phenanthrene and 9,10-phenanthrenequinone exhibited potentially synergistic effects, as shown by joint toxicity testing using Photobacterium phosphoreum. Thus, mixtures of oxidized PAHs produced by photoaction in the environment create a significant risk to the biosphere.
- OSTI ID:
- 398186
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Toxicity of a PAH photooxidation product to the bacteria Photobacterium phosphoreum and the duckweed Lemna gibba: Effects of phenanthrene and its primary photoproduct, phenanthrenequinone
Photochemical oxidation of phenanthrene sorbed on silica gel