Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in agricultural soils in Poland: preliminary proposals for criteria to evaluate the level of soil contamination

The contamination of agricultural soils in the Upper Silesia region of Poland with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was evaluated on the basis of three criteria: the sum of PAH content; the number of exceeded reference values for individual PAH (according Dutch regulations); the authorʹs preliminary proposals for agricultural lands in Poland (the sum of PAH content normalized to “average soil” characteristics in the area under investigation. Organic matter content and the <0.02 mm size fraction were chosen as the soil properties most adequate for this purpose. The presented results revealed that an assessment of the level of contamination of agricultural lands with PAH depends on the criteria being applied. This indicates a need to establish guidelines to allow the proper classification of soils in terms of their agricultural use and the protection of the environment.