Dissolution of azaarenes from urban aerosols

Laboratory studies show the potential for significant dissolution processes of highly toxic azaarenes from the urban aerosols. Over a pH range from 6 to 8>90% of the azaarene compounds in the aerosol dissolve within an hour. At realistic urban rainwater pH values it follows that most of the azaarenes will be rapidly removed from the particulate phase resulting in depositional fluxes dominated by wet deposition. It is suggested that the results of this study also have implications for human health because contaminated aerosol particles inhaled into the lungs will be exposed to fluids at pH<8 and will therefore rapidly release azaarenes in locally high concentrations.