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Characterisation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs) Bound to
Indoor PM2.5 in Primary Schools
Noor Rasyefaziera Binti Nor Hamdan
Supervisor: Dr. Noorlin binti Mohamad
Bachelor of Science (Analytical and Environmental Chemistry)
School of Marine and Environmental Science
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
The indoor air of schools is considered as one of the most important factors affecting
the health of children. The aim of this study was to characterize polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAHs) bounded to PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5µm) in indoor
primary schools environment. The samplings were carried out at seven selected
primary schools in the Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur during August until November
2017. PAHs were extracted from PM2.5 by using ultrasonic extraction with DCM:Hex
(1:1, v/v) as the extraction solvent and were analyzed by using GC-MS. The results
showed that the average total PAHs (∑PAHs) concentration ranged from 1.1 ng/m 3 to
19.2 ng/m 3 . The most abundant PAHs in indoor environment consisted PAHs with 5
aromatic rings such as benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene
and dibenz[a,h]anthracene. Based on diagnostic ratio, the possible sources of PAHs in
indoor environment were vehicular emissions which infiltrated from the outdoor
environment.
1969 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018