ABSTRACT

CASRN: 207-08-9; molecular formula: C20H12; FW: 252.32; RTECS: DF6350000 Physical state and color: Pale yellow needles Melting point (°C): 198-217 (Murray et al., 1974) 217.4 (Diogo and Minas da Piedade, 2002) Boiling point (°C): 481 (Bjørseth, 1983) Diffusivity in water (x 10-5 cm2/sec): 0.49 at 20 °C using method of Hayduk and Laudie (1974) Dissociation constant, pKa: >15 (Christensen et al., 1975) Entropy of fusion (cal/mol⋅K): 13.4 (Diogo and Minas da Piedade, 2002) Heat of fusion (kcal/mol): 6.57 (Diogo and Minas da Piedade, 2002) Henry’s law constant (x 10-7 atm⋅m3/mol): 4.24 at 25 °C (gas purging-HPLC, de Maagd et al., 1998) 2.17, 4.24, 10.56, 13.62, 19.54, and 39.77 at 10.0, 20.0, 35.0, 40.1, 45.0, and 55.0 °C, respectively

(wetted-wall column, ten Hulscher et al., 1992) Bioconcentration factor, log BCF: 4.00 (Daphnia magna, Newsted and Giesy, 1987) 1.15 (Polychaete sp.), 0.26 (Capitella capitata) (Bayona et al., 1991) Apparent values of 4.4 (wet wt) and 6.1 (lipid wt) for freshwater isopods including Asellus

aquaticus (L.) (van Hattum et al., 1998) Soil organic carbon/water partition coefficient, log Koc: 5.99 (average, Kayal and Connell, 1990) 5.97-6.94 (San Francisco, CA mudflat sediments, Maruya et al., 1996) 7.4 (average value using 8 river bed sediments from the Netherlands, van Hattum et al., 1998) Octanol/water partition coefficient, log Kow: 6.40 (Bayona et al., 1991) 6.11 at 25 °C (shake flask-HPLC, de Maagd et al., 1998)

Soluble in most solvents (U.S. EPA, 1985), particularly hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylenes. Solubility in water: 1.09 µg/L at 25 °C (de Maagd et al., 1998) Vapor pressure (mmHg): 9.59 x 10-11 at 25 °C (extrapolated from vapor pressures determined at higher temperatures, Pupp et al., 1974) Environmental fate: Soil. Based on aerobic soil die-away test data, the half-life in soil ranged from 910 d to 5.86 yr (Bossert et al., 1984). Photolytic. The atmospheric half-life was estimated to range from 1.1 to 11 h (Atkinson, 1987). Chemical/Physical. Benzo[k]fluoranthene will not hydrolyze because it has no hydrolyzable functional group (Kollig, 1995). At influent concentrations of 1.0, 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 mg/L, the GAC adsorption capacities were 180, 48, 13, and 3.5 mg/g, respectively (Dobbs and Cohen, 1980). Exposure limits: Potential occupational carcinogen. No individual standards have been set; however, as a constituent in coal tar pitch volatiles, the following exposure limits have been established (mg/m3): NIOSH REL: TWA 0.1 (cyclohexane-extractable fraction), IDLH 80; OSHA PEL: TWA 0.2 (benzene-soluble fraction); ACGIH TLV: TWA 0.2 (benzene solubles). Toxicity: EC10 (21-d) for Folsomia fimetaria >560 mg/kg (Sverdrup et al., 2002). LC50 (21-d) for Folsomia fimetaria >560 mg/kg (Sverdrup et al., 2002). Drinking water standard: No MCLGs or MCLs have been proposed (U.S. EPA, 2000). Source: Benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[k]fluoranthene were detected in 8 diesel fuels at concentrations ranging from 0.0027 to 3.1 mg/L with a mean value of 0.266 mg/L (Westerholm and Li, 1994). Also present in gasoline (9 µg/L), bitumen (34-1,140 µg/L), crude oil (<1 ppm) (quoted, Verschueren, 1983), and coal (32.5 g/kg) (Lao et al., 1975). Based on laboratory analysis of 7 coal tar samples, benzo[k]fluoranthene concentrations ranged from 350 to 3,000 ppm (EPRI, 1990). Identified in high-temperature coal tar pitches used in roofing operations at concentrations ranging from 1,670 to 4,500 mg/kg (Malaiyandi et al., 1982). Nine commercially available creosote samples contained benzo[k]fluoranthene at concentrations ranging from 2 to 67 mg/kg (Kohler et al., 2000). Schauer et al. (2001) measured organic compound emission rates for volatile organic compounds, gas-phase semi-volatile organic compounds, and particle phase organic compounds from the residential (fireplace) combustion of pine, oak, and eucalyptus. The particle-phase emission rates of benzo[k]fluoranthene were 0.671 mg/kg of pine burned, 0.303 mg/kg of oak burned, and 0.286 mg/kg of eucalyptus burned. California Phase II reformulated gasoline contained benzo[k]fluoranthene at a concentration of 280 µg/kg. Particle-phase tailpipe emission rate from a noncatalyst-equipped gasoline-powered automobile was 32.7 µg/km (Schauer et al., 2002). Under atmospheric conditions, a low rank coal (0.5-1 mm particle size) from Spain was burned in a fluidized bed reactor at seven different temperatures (50 °C increments) beginning at 650 °C. The combustion experiment was also conducted at different amounts of excess oxygen (5 to 40%)

amount of benzo[k]fluoranthene emitted ranged from 0 ng/kg at three temperatures (650, 750, and 950 °C) to 180.5 ng/kg at 850 °C. The greatest amount of PAHs emitted were observed at 750 °C (Mastral et al., 1999). Use: Produced primarily for research purposes. Derived from industrial and experimental coal gasification operations where the maximum concentrations detected in liquid and coal tar streams were 0.017 and 1.6 mg/m3, respectively (Cleland, 1981).