Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important class of semivolatile air pollutants known for their adverse health impacts. This research used conifer needles as passive air samplers to create spatial maps of two Utah cities (Rose Park and Spanish Fork) to compare overall PAH exposure and identify any differences in their congener profiles or PAH “fingerprints”. Conifer needles were chosen due to their prevalence as a passive air sampler in previous research and their ubiquity in urban and suburban environments. Second year needles were collected and the concentrations are considered to be an annually averaged view of the PAH concentrations in these areas. 20 PAH congeners (16 EPA priority and four common methylated PAHs) were measured in needles and concentrations are presented as both lipid-normalized concentrations and modeled air concentrations. Rose Park was found to have significantly higher concentrations of PAHs compared to Spanish Fork. Overall congener profiles were similar, pointing towards similar sources of these PAHs. Contour maps were generated of both Rose Park and Spanish Fork to further explore the spatial distribution of these compounds. Rose Park showed high variability between sampling sites, with high concentrations along its eastern border, while Spanish Fork showed low variability with some relative hotspots along its eastern border. This research demonstrates the ability of conifer needles to provide high resolution data regarding pollutant exposure in urban environments. It also highlights the importance of modeling air concentrations from vegetation passive air samplers to understand the atmospheric distribution of PAHs.

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Faculty Mentor

Kimberly J. Hageman

Departmental Honors Advisor

Ryan Jackson

Capstone Committee Member

Randal S. Martin