The efficiency of wastewater treatment systems is commonly measured by the reductions of parameters such as biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) and/or reductions in levels of selected macro compounds (e.g. long-chained hydrocarbons and inorganic compounds). Less attention has generally been paid to micropollutants with high potential toxic effects, such as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including unsubstituted and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dibenzothiophenes, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), human pharmaceuticals and by-products formed during the treatment process. These organic micropollutants occur in wastewaters at trace and ultra-trace levels, therefore their detection requires advanced, costly analyses and large sample volumes. Furthermore, concentrations of micropollutants can fluctuate widely both diurnally and between days. Thus, in order to understand the fate of micropollutants in wastewaters there is a need to develop sampling techniques that allow representative samples to be readily collected. In the work underlying this thesis two types of diffusive passive samplers, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCISs), were used to monitor non-polar and polar organic micropollutants in wastewaters subjected to various treatment processes. The pollutants sequestered in these samplers represent micropollutants in the dissolved phase that are available for aquatic organisms. Further, since they collect pollutants in an integrative manner, i.e. they sample continuously during the selected exposure time (usually approx. one to ca. three weeks), the results provide time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations. In addition, the effects of various environmental factors on the uptake of analyzed micropollutants in POCISs and SPMDs were investigated using laboratory calibration and in situ calibration with performance reference compounds (PRCs). The results confirm that SPMDs are good sampling tools for investigating the efficacy of wastewater treatment processes for removing non-polar PACs and PCBs, and the effects of varying the process settings. In addition, analyses of process streams in municipal sewage treatment plants demonstrated that conventional sewage treatment processes are not optimized for removing dissolved four-ringed PAHs, some of the five-ringed PAHs, and tri- to hexa-chlorinated biphenyls. The removal of bioavailable PACs was enhanced by adding sorbents with high sorption capacities to the sludge used in the activated sludge treatment step, and a biologically activated carbon system was designed that robustly removed bioavailable PACs, with removal efficiencies of 96.9-99.7 percent across the tested ranges of five varied process parameters. In situ SPMD calibration data acquired show that uptake of PACs, described by SPMD sampling rates (Rs), were four to eight times higher than published laboratory calibrated Rs values, mainly due to strong (bio)fouling and turbulence effects. In addition, the laboratory calibration study demonstrated that temperature affects the POCIS uptake of pharmaceuticals. The uptake of four pharmaceuticals was higher, by 10-56 percent, at 18 °C compared to 5 °C. For two of the pharmaceuticals our data indicate that the uptake was lower by 18-25 percent at 18 °C. Our results also indicate that uptake of the studied pharmaceuticals was in the linear phase throughout the 35 day exposure period at both temperatures. Finally, calibration studies enabled aqueous concentrations of micropollutants to be more accurately estimated from amounts collected in the passive samplers.

Contaminated sediments represent a common environmental problem because they can sequester large quantities of contaminants which can remain long after the source of pollution has been removed. From the sediment these hazardous compounds are released into the sediment porewater where it can partition into organisms in the sediment and bioaccumulate up the food web; leading to an ecological and human health concern. The objective of this work is to investigate an emerging option in contaminated sediment remediation; specifically an option for in-situ treatment known as active capping. Conventional capping uses clean sediment or sands to separate contaminated sediment from overlying water and biota. Active capping is the use of a sorptive amendment to such a cap to improve its effectiveness. This work focuses on granular materials as direct amendments to conventional caps including; granular activated carbon (GAC), iron/palladium amended GAC, alumina pillared clay, rice husk char, and organically modified clays. All materials were investigated in batch sorption tests of benzene, chlorobenzene, and naphthalene in DI water. Additionally porewaters from three sites were extruded and the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured. At Manistique Harbor and Ottawa River PCBs were identified as the primary contaminant of concern while PAHs were the contaminant of concern at the Grand Calumet River. At these sites a solvent extraction method was used to analyze the sediment concentrations of the contaminants of concern. From the former batch tests activated carbon and a commercially available organoclay were chosen for further investigation. This includes PAHs in batch sorption tests using extruded sediment porewater to investigate matrix effects, and PCB sorption in distilled water. / text

Ce travail de thèse traite d'expériences d'astrophysique de laboratoire sur des matériaux aromatiques, étudiés pour la plupart dans des conditions proches de celles rencontrées dans les milieux interstellaire et circumstellaire, comprenant rayons cosmiques et irradiations UV. Ces dernières sont à l'origine de bandes d'émission dans l'infrarouge moyen, dont les porteurs supposés sont principalement les Hydrocarbures Aromatiques Polycycliques (PAHs) et les nanoparticules aromatiques. Un nouveau spectromètre, FIREFLY (Fluorescence in the InfraRed from Excited FLYing molecules), contenant une réplique des filtres circulaires variables à bord de l'instrument ISOCAM du satellite ISO, a été mis au point et caractérisé au cours de cette thèse. Cet instrument a permis de mesurer la désexcitation infrarouge dans la région des modes d'élongations CH (3.3 µm, soit 3000 cm-1) des dérivés du benzène et du naphtalène à température ambiante, suite à l'absorption d'un photon UV. Ceci montre, avec l'appui de la modélisation, que la spectroscopie d'émission IR est un outil puissant permettant de comprendre les effets d'anharmonicité liés à l'énergie interne, l'isomérisation voire même la dynamique intramoléculaire non-adiabatique, au travers de la spectroscopie d'excitation de fluorescence infrarouge (une nouvelle technique). Ce travail est préliminaire à la future mesure de fluorescence infrarouge de nanoparticules aromatiques en phase gazeuse et à basse température produites par une flamme basse pression, dans le but de comparer les spectres de laboratoire avec les observations astrophysiques. Le dépôt d'énergie par les rayons cosmiques a été étudié grâce à une autre expérience, l'irradiation ionique d'analogues de poussières interstellaires et circumstellaires (suies produites par la flamme basse pression), mettant en évidence une réorganisation chimique. Les suies sont caractérisées par différents diagnostics complémentaires tels que la Microscopie Electronique en Transmission à Haute Résolution et les spectroscopies infrarouge à Transformée de Fourier et Raman. L'ensemble des informations tirées permet de mieux cerner la nanostructuration des analogues et ainsi mieux identifier les différentes signatures spectrales astrophysiques (interprétation de la bande à 7.7 µm comme une bande de défauts). Grâce à ces expériences, nous espérons améliorer notre compréhension de la structure, croissance et évolution de la poussière, d'un point de vue astrophysique.

<p>In this work, a simple, less time consuming electrochemical method in the form of an electrochemical sensor has been developed for the detection of PAHs. The sensor was fabricated by the deposition of silver-gold (1:3) alloy nanoparticles (Ag-AuNPs) on ultrathin overoxidized polypyrrole (PPyox) film which formed a PPyox/Ag-AuNPs composite on glassy carbon electrode (PPyox/Ag-AuNPs/GCE). The silver-gold alloy nanoparticles deposited to form the composite were chemically prepared by simultaneous reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) using sodium citrate and characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy technique which confirmed the homogeneous formation of the alloy nanoparticles.</p>

Les sources d’émissions de polluants organiques persistants (POP) dans l’atmosphère sont relativement bien connues. Une fois dans ce compartiment sous formes gazeuse et/ou particulaire, ces composés sont transportés à plus ou moins longue distance puis éliminés en fonction des conditions météorologiques par dépôts secs (aérosols) ou humides (pluie et neige). L’impact des POP est planétaire, tous les milieux de l’environnement sont touchés et les milieux aquatiques de montagne ne sont pas épargnés. Plusieurs études ont rapportées la présence de Polychlorobiphényles (PCB) et d’Hydrocarbures Aromatiques Polycycliques (HAP) sur des lacs d’altitude européens où l’atmosphère est l’unique source de pollution. A ce jour, très peu d’études ont été menées en milieux de montagne pour comprendre et identifier les mécanismes de transfert à l’interface entre l’air et l’eau. Ces travaux de thèse sont ainsi focalisés sur les échanges de POP à l’interface air-eau en milieu aquatique de montagne. Dans le but de définir le rôle de l’atmosphère sur ces milieux et de calculer des flux de POP, deux systèmes hydriques distincts ont été étudiés : un lac d’altitude (Lac de la Muzelle, Oisans) et une rivière alpine (Arc, vallée de la Maurienne). Deux familles de POP ont été ciblées pour leurs différentes propriétés physico-chimiques : les HAP et les PCB. Pour l’étude de ces milieux de montagne parfois difficile d’accès, une stratégie d’échantillonnage passive a été choisie. Les systèmes d’échantillonnage employé ont été améliorés, développés au laboratoire ou utilisés tel quel pour échantillonner distinctement toutes les formes de POP dans l’air (gaz, particules, dépôts secs et humides) et dans l’eau (phase dissoute et particulaire). Une comparaison des systèmes d’échantillonneurs atmosphériques passifs a été réalisée pour définir le plus fiable et représentatif. Ces études de transferts air-eau ont été conduites sur le lac d’altitude pendant deux périodes estivales (2014 et 2015) et un suivi de deux ans a été réalisé (2014 à 2016) sur la rivière alpine.Le rôle de l’atmosphère en période estivale a pu être ainsi défini sur le lac d’altitude et des flux d’échanges de polluants à l’interface ont pu être calculés. La rivière alpine étant un système hydrique dynamique plus complexe pour l’étude des transferts air-eau et la quantification de flux, un suivi spatio-temporel de la contamination a tout d’abord été réalisé le long de la rivière et une première approche de calcul de flux de polluants à l’interface a été appliquée. / Atmospheric sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are relatively well known. Once in this compartment under both gas and particulate forms, these compounds are carried on more or less long range. Then, pollutants are eliminated by dry (aerosol) or wet (rain, snow) depositions according to meteorological conditions. The global planetary distribution of POPs affects all environments and mountain aquatic environments are not spared. Several studies on European high altitude mountain lakes have reported the presence of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). In these remote areas, the atmospheric compartment is the unique source of pollution. Few studies were conducted in order to understand and identify transfer mechanisms at the air-water interface in mountain. So, this thesis focused on POP exchanges at the air-water interface. In order to characterize atmospheric influence on aquatic compartment and calculate pollutant fluxes, two separate water systems were studied: a high altitude lake (Muzelle lake, Oisans) and an alpine river (Arc, Maurienne valley). Two POP families were targeted for their different physicochemical properties: PAHs and PCBs.In these mountain environments with limited access and energy, passive sampling strategy was chosen. Samplers were improved, developed in the lab or used to distinctly collect all POP forms in the air (gas, particulate, dry and wet depositions) and water (dissolved, particulate). A comparison of different atmospheric passive samplers was conducted to define the most reliable and representative. The air-water transfer studies were realized on the high altitude lake over two summer periods (2014 and 2015) and over a two years monitoring (2014 to 2016) in the alpine river. So, the atmospheric role on the alpine lake in summer was defined and air-water flux exchanges were calculated. As the alpine river is a more complex water system for the air-water transfers study and quantification, in a first time a space-time contamination monitoring was conducted along the river and a first approach was applied to calculate pollutant fluxes at the interface.

Les hydrocarbures aromatiques monocycliques (BTEX) et polycycliques (HAP) sont pour la plupart reconnus pour leur toxicité via ingestion. Le suivi de leur contenu dans les matrices alimentaires est donc indispensable. Plusieurs approches sensibles et complémentaires ont été établies, avec la pomme comme modèle d’étude, pour la double détermination de ces hydrocarbures aromatiques volatils et semi-volatils au niveau du µg/kg.Une micro-extraction en phase solide dans l’espace de tête (HS-SPME) a été utilisée pour l'extraction des hydrocarbures aromatiques les plus légers (MM entre 78 et 178 g/mol). La récupération des composés les plus lourds (MM entre 202 et 278 g/mol) a quant à elle été permise par une méthodologie basée sur l'extraction assistée par les ultrasons (UAE) suivie d'une extraction en phase solide (SPE). Une alternative plus sensible à cette stratégie combinant l’HS-SPME et l’UAE/SPE pour la détermination globale des hydrocarbures aromatiques a également été développée. Le remplacement de l’étape de SPE par une micro-extraction sur solide compacté (MEPS) a permis une récupération plus rapide, sensible et plus large des HAP (MM entre 152 et 278 g/mol).L’ensemble des stratégies d'extraction, associées à des analyses en chromatographie gazeuse couplée à la spectrométrie de masse, a ensuite pu être appliqué à la détermination des 20 composés aromatiques ciblés dans des pommes récoltées en Normandie ou des fruits provenant du commerce contaminés ou non par des gaz d’échappement ou des fumées de combustion de biomasse. Ces applications ont révélé la faible contamination des pommes normandes étudiées, l’adsorption prédominante des composés aromatiques au niveau de la peau des fruits et leur faible transfert vers la chair. / Monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered and recognized as toxic compounds via ingestion. Their monitoring in food product is thus a significant concern. Sensitive and complementary experimental approaches were investigated with apple as model for the dual determination of volatile and semi-volatile aromatic hydrocarbons at the ppb level.A solid-phase micro-extraction in the headspace of samples (HS-SPME) was used for the most volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (MW between 78 and 178 g/mol). The recovery of the least volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (MW between 202 and 278 g/mol) was implemented with an ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) followed by a purification step using a solid phase extraction (SPE). The methodology consisting in HS-SPME and UAE/SPE enabled the global determination of BTEX and PAHs. The SPE step was then substituted by a micro-extraction with a packed sorbent (MEPS) to elaborate a most sensitive and rapid methodology for the quantification of a wider range of PAHs (MW between 152 and 278 g/mol).Extraction procedures associated with analyses using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were then applied to the determination of 20 targeted aromatic compounds in apples harvested in Normandy or in commercial fruits exposed or not exposed to exhaust gas or to wood smoke. These applications revealed low levels of contaminants in the studied apples from Normandy. A predominant adsorption of aromatic compounds occurs on the skin of fruits and the transfer to the pulp is almost inexistent.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that have been shown to be teratogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic and pose serious threats to the health of aquatic and human life. Several methods have been developed for their determination such as immunoassay, gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with fluorescence or absorbance detection. However, these methods are known to manifest underlying disadvantages such as complicated pretreatment, high costs and time consuming processes. In this work, a simple, less time consuming electrochemical method in the form of an electrochemical sensor has been developed for the detection of PAHs. The sensor was fabricated by the deposition of silver-gold (1:3) alloy nanoparticles (Ag-AuNPs) on ultrathin overoxidized polypyrrole (PPyox) film which formed a PPyox/Ag-AuNPs composite on glassy carbon electrode (PPyox/Ag-AuNPs/GCE). The silver-gold alloy nanoparticles deposited to form the composite were chemically prepared by simultaneous reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) using sodium citrate and characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy technique which confirmed the homogeneous formation of the alloy nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the synthesized nanoparticles were in the range of 20-50 nm. The properties of the composite formed upon deposition of the nanoparticles on the PPyox film were investigated by electrochemical methods. The PPyox/Ag-AuNPs/GCE sensor showed strong catalytic activity towards the oxidation of anthracene, phenanthrene and pyrene, and was able to simultaneously detect anthracene and phenanthrene in a binary mixture of the two. The catalytic peak currents obtained from square wave voltammetry increased linearly with anthracene, phenanthrene and pyrene concentrations in the range of 3.0 x 10-6 to 3.56 x 10-4 M,3.3 x 10-5 to 2.83 x 10-4 M, 3.3 x 10-5 to 1.66 x 10-4 M and with detection limits of 0.169 μM, 1.59 μM and 2.70 μM, respectively. The PPyox/Ag-AuNPs/GCE sensor is simple, has antifouling properties and is less time consuming with a response time of 4 s. / South Africa

Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP) sont des polluants persistants retrouvés majoritairement dans l’environnement, qui sont reconnus comme hautement toxiques pour les organismes vivants. Les nombreux travaux réalisés sur les mécanismes contrôlant l’évolution des HAP dans le sol et dans la rhizosphère ont mis en exergue le rôle majeur de la biodégradation par les microorganismes et de la sorption aux constituants du sol. Néanmoins, un manque d’informations persiste concernant le devenir de ces HAP dans le sol, et plus particulièrement leur localisation dans les compartiments du sol ainsi que la nature et le comportement des composés issus de leur dégradation. La thèse avait donc comme principaux objectifs : (a) la localisation des HAP et des produits dérivés dans les compartiments du sol (matières organiques, phases minérales, microorganismes et plante), et (b) la quantification et l’identification des composés organiques formant les résidus liés du sol. Pour cela, nous avons couplé deux approches:(i) le suivi d’un HAP modèle marqué, le 13C-phénanthrène (13C-PHE), dans un sol artificiellement contaminé planté et non planté pour notamment déterminer par IRMS et NanoSIMS la distribution du C issu du PHE dans les compartiments et pour identifier les composés dérivés du 13C-PHE par 13C-RMN et TD/pyGCMS. (ii) le suivi d’une contamination ancienne et récente en HAP dans un sol historiquement contaminé pour étudier l’influence des matières organiques et des phases minérales (séparées par un fractionnement densimétrique) dans la rétention des HAP. Plus de 40% du C issu du 13C-PHE est retenu dans le sol après 14 jours de croissance du ray-grass. L’enrichissement en 13C observé dans la plante est du même ordre que celui du sol (E13C ≈ 0.04 % at.) démontrant une incorporation homogène du 13C-PHE entre la plante et le sol. Cet enrichissement global dans la plante est confirmé par les images NanoSIMS réalisées sur les racines. Des hotspots en 13C ont également été observés dans la rhizosphère, et à partir de leur taille, leur forme et leur composition élémentaire en C, N et S ils ont été identifiés comme étant des bactéries, ce qui met en avant leur rôle dans la dynamique des HAP du sol. Dans le sol industriel, la majorité des HAP est retrouvée dans les MO non complexées aux minéraux. En revanche, les HAP fraîchement ajoutés se sont significativement liés aux associations organo-minérales composées de quartz, de feldspaths et de phyllosilicates / Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major persistent pollutants in the environment that are recognized as highly toxic to living organisms. Numerous studies were carried out on the fate of PAHs in soil and in plant rhizosphere and highlighted the major contribution of biodegradation processes and of the sorption to soil constituents. However, a lack of knowledge remains about the fate of PAHs in the soil and especially their location in soil compartments as well as the nature and the behavior of degradation products. The main objectives of the thesis were: (a) to localize PAHs and their derived products within soil compartments (organic matter, minerals, microorganisms and plant), and (b) to quantify and identify the organic compounds forming bound residues. For this purpose, we used two approaches: (i) the monitoring of a labeled PAH, the 13C-phenanthrene (13C-PHE), in a spiked soil planted or not to determine by IRMS and NanoSIMS the 13C-distribution into compartments and to identify derived compounds of 13C-PHE by 13C-RMN et TD/pyGCMS. (ii) the distribution and localization of aged and freshly spiked PAH contamination in a brownfield soil to study the impact of organic matter and minerals (using soil densimetric fractionation) in the PAH retention. More than 40% of C from 13C-PHE remained in the soil after 14 days of ryegrass growth. The 13C-enrichment in plant tissue was similarly to the soil enrichment (E13C ≈ 0.04 at.%) indicating uniform uptake of 13C-PHE between the soil and plant. NanoSIMS images acquired for roots confirmed this global enrichment in the plant. 13C-Hospots were also observed in the rhizosphere, and on the basis on their size, their shape and their elemental composition in C, N and S, they were identified as bacteria, which emphasize their contribution to the fate of PAHs in soil. In the industrial soil, most of the PAHs were found attached to the free OM. However, the freshly spiked PAHs in the soil were significantly associated with organo-mineral associations containing quartz, feldspars and phyllosilicates

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Este trabalho de pesquisa descreve dois estudos de caso de métodos quimiométricos empregados para a quantificação de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos HPAs (naftaleno, fluoreno, fenantreno e fluoranteno) em água potável usando espectroscopia de fluorescência molecular e a classificação e caracterização de sucos de uva e seus parâmetros de qualidade através de espectroscopia de infravermelho próximo. O objetivo do primeiro estudo é a aplicação combinada de métodos quimiométricos de segunda ordem (N-PLS, U-PLS, U-PLS/RBL e PARAFAC) e espectrofluorimetria para determinação direta de HPAs em água potável, visando contribuir para o conhecimento do potencial destas metodologias como alternativa viável para a determinação tradicional por cromatografia univariada. O segundo estudo de caso destinado à classificação e determinação de parâmetros de qualidade de sucos de uva, densidade relativa e teor de sólidos solúveis totais, foi medida por espectroscopia de infravermelho próximo e métodos quimiométricos. Diversos métodos quimiométricos, tais como HCA, PLS-DA, SVM-DA e SIMCA foram investigados para a classificação amostras de sucos de uva ao mesmo tempo que métodos de calibração multivariada de primeira ordem, tais como PLS, iPLS e SVM-LS foram usadas para a predição dos parâmetros de qualidade. O princípio orientador para o desenvolvimento dos estudos aqui descritos foi a necessidade de metodologias analíticas com custo, tempo de execução e facilidade de operação melhores e menor produção de resíduos do que os métodos atualmente utilizados para a quantificação de HPAs, em água de torneira, e classificação e caracterização das amostras de suco de uva e seus parâmetros de qualidade / This research work describes two studies of chemometric methods employed for the quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs (naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and fluoranthene) in tap water using molecular fluorescence technique, and the classification and characterization of grape juice and its quality parameters by near infrared spectroscopy. The goal of the first study is the combined application of the second-order chemometric methods (N-PLS, U-PLS, U-PLS/RBL, PARAFAC) and spectrofluorimetry technique for direct determination of HPAs in tap water, aiming to contribute for the growth of knowledge about the potential of these methodologies as viable alternatives to the traditional univariate chromatographic determination. The second study aimed at the classification and determination of grape juice quality parameters, as relative density and total soluble solids, were measured with the aid of near infrared spectroscopy and chemometric methods. Several chemometric methods, such as HCA, PLS-DA, SVM-DA, SIMCA, were investigated for the classification of grape juice samples as the same time first-order multivariate calibration methods, such as PLS, iPLS, SVM-LS, were used for prediction of quality parameters. The guiding principle for the development of the studies herein described was the need for analytical methodologies with cost, execution time, ease of operation, and residue output better or lower than present day methods employed for the quantification of PAHs in tap water and the classification and characterization of grape juice sample and its quality parameters

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A mutagenicidade do material particulado é atribuída primeiramente aos hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPA). Investigamos a atividade mutagênica do material particulado (MP2,5) em amostras coletadas em três pontos da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. As coletas foram realizadas com auxílio de um amostrador de grande volume na Avenida Brasil, no campus da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro e no Túnel Rebouças em filtros de fibra de vidro. Metade de cada filtro foi submetido à extração por sonicação com o solvente diclorometano. Seis HPA foram identificados e quantificados por cromatografia gasosa com espectrometria de massa (GC/MS). Após a análise química as concentrações dos HPA obtidos foram correlacionados ao fatores físicos, além de ser realizado avaliação de risco para cada HPA estudado. Linhagens de Salmonella typhimurium (TA98 e derivadas TA98/1.8-DNP6, YG1021 e YG1024) foram utilizadas no ensaio de mutagenicidade e tratadas (10-50 g/placa) com extrato orgânico na presença e na ausência de metabolização exógena. Células de raiz de cebola foram tratadas com extratos orgânicos nas concentrações (5-25g/mL). A alta umidade encontrada no Túnel Rebouças pode ter influenciado na deposição de cinco dos seis HPA estudados em material particulado. Além disso, em diferentes condições de tráfego, motoristas de ônibus que cruzam a Avenida Brasil e o Rebouças túnel estão expostos ao risco induzidos por HPA na ordem de 10-6. Mutagenicidade foi detectada tanto na presença quanto na ausência de metabolização, para as linhagens YG1021 e YG1024 nos três pontos, sugerindo a presença de nitro e amino derivados de HPA. As amostras do Túnel Rebouças apresentaram os maiores valores para rev/g e rev/m3. Estes resultados podem estar relacionados ao longo trajeto e a restrita ventilação. Efeito citotóxico foi detectado pelo ensaio Allium cepa nos três pontos de monitoramento. Além disso os extratos orgânicos provenientes das coletas da Avenida Brasil, UERJ e do Túnel Rebouças induziram efeito clastogênico em células de raiz de Allium cepa / The mutagenicity of airborne particles from combustion is attributed primarily to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We investigated the mutagenic activity of particulate matter (PM2.5) samples collected from three sites in Rio de Janeiro. Samples were collected using a high-volume sampler at Avenida Brasil, the campus of the Rio de Janeiro State University, and Rebouças tunnel. Half of each filter was submitted to sequential extraction by sonication with dichloromethane. Six PAHs were quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and the derivative strains TA98/1.8-DNP6, YG1021 and YG1024 used in mutagenicity assays were treated (10-50 g/plate) with and without exogenous metabolization. Onion root cells were treated with organic extracts concentrations (5-25g/mL). The high humidity detected in the Rebouças Tunnel may have influenced the deposition of five of the six PAHs studied in particulate matter. Moreover, in different traffic conditions can put the bus drivers that cross the Brasil Avenue and Rebouças tunnel at the risk of exposure induced by HPA in the order of 10-6. Independently of exogenous metabolization, mutagenicity was detected for strains YG1021 and YG1024 at all the sites, suggesting the presence of nitro and amino derivatives of PAHs. Rebouças tunnel presented the highest values for rev/g and rev/m3. These could be related to the fact that this long, enclosed passageway and restricts ventilation. Cytotoxic effect was detected by the Allium cepa test in the three monitoring sites. Also organic extracts from Brazil Avenue, UERJ and Rebouças Tunnel showed clastogenic effect in Allium cepa roots