Contaminated soils are a worldwide problem. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common contaminants in soil at former industrial areas, especially at old gasworks sites, gas stations and former wood impregnation facilities. Risk assessments of PAHs in contaminated soils are usually based on chemical analysis of a small number of individual PAHs, which only constitute a small part of the complex cocktail of hundreds of PAHs and other related polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in the soils. Generally, the mixture composition of PAH-contaminated soils is rarely known and the mechanisms of toxicity and interactions between the pollutants are far from fully understood. The main objective of this thesis was to characterize remediated PAHcontaminated soils by use of a chemical and bioanalytical approach. Bioassay specific relative potency (REP) values for 38 PAHs and related PACs were developed in the sensitive H4IIE-luc bioassay and used in massbalance analysis of remediated PAH contaminated soils, to assess the contribution of chemically quantified compounds to the overall aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated activity observed in the H4IIE-luc bioassay. Mixtures studies showed additive AhR-mediated effects of PACs, including PAHs, oxy PAHs, methylated PAHs and azaarenes, in the bioassay, which supports the use of REP values in risk assessment. The results from the chemical and bioassay analysis showed that PAH-contaminated soils contained a large fraction of AhR activating compounds whose effect could not be explained by chemical analysis of the 16 priority PAHs. Further chemical identification and biological studies are necessary to determine whether these unknown substances pose a risk to human health or the environment. Results presented in this thesis are an important step in the development of AhR-based bioassay analysis and risk assessment of complex PAH-contaminated samples. / <p>Other funders: Sparbanksstiftelsen Nya and Ångpanneföreningen</p>

Biodiesel use and production has significantly increased in the United States and in other parts of the world in the past decade. This change is driven by energy security and global climate legislation mandating reductions in the use of petroleum-based diesel. Recent air quality research has shown that emission of some pollutants such as CO, particulate matter (PM), SO2, hydrocarbons, and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is greatly reduced with biodiesel. However, studies have also shown that some unregulated emissions, such as gas-phase carbonyls, are increased with biodiesel combustion. Very limited research has been done to investigate the particle-phase carbonyl and quinone emissions from biodiesel combustion. Also, very limited studies have investigated the ozone oxidation of biodiesel exhaust PM. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) are found in high abundance in biodiesel exhaust PM. The presence of these FAMEs in biodiesel exhaust PM can potentially alter the kinetics of the reactions between ozone and particle-phase PAHs. In this study, an Armfield CM-12 automotive light-duty diesel engine operated on a transient drive cycle was used to generate PM from various waste vegetable oil (WVO) and soybean biodiesel blends (containing 0%, (B00), 10% (B10), 20% (B20), 50% (B50), and 100% (B100) biodiesel by volume). The primary PM emissions were sampled using Teflon-coated fiberfilm filters. Laboratory PAHs, FAMEs, and B20 exhaust PM were exposed to ~0.4 ppm ozone for time periods ranging from 0-24 hours in order to study the effect of FAMEs and biodiesel exhaust PM on the ozonolysis of PAHs. Organic chemical analysis of samples was performed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). PAHs, carbonyls, FAMEs, and n-alkanes were quantified in the exhaust PM of petrodiesel, WVO and soybean fuel blends. The emission rates of the total PAHs in B10, B20, B50, and B100 exhaust PM decreased by 0.006-0.071 ng/µg (5-51%) compared to B00, while the emission rates for the FAMEs increased with increasing biodiesel content in the fuel. The emission rates of the total n-alkanes in B10, B20, B50, and B100 exhaust PM decreased by 0.5-21.3 ng/µg (4-86%) compared to B00 exhaust PM. The total emission rates of the aliphatic aldehydes in biodiesel exhaust PM (B10, B20, B50, and B100) increased by 0.019-2.485 ng/µg (36-4800%) compared to petrodiesel. The emission rates of the total aromatic aldehydes, total aromatic ketones, and total quinones all generally decreased with increasing biodiesel content in the fuel. With the exception of benzo[a]pyrene, the pseudo-first order ozone reaction rate constants of all the PAHs decreased by 1.2-8 times in the presence of the FAMEs. Phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene were the only PAHs detected in the B20 exhaust PM, and their ozone reaction rate constants were about 4 times lower than those obtained when the PAHs alone were exposed to ozone. The findings of this study indicate that there are both positive and negative effects to emissions associated with biodiesel use in light-duty diesel engines operating on transient drive cycle.

The rapid urbanization and industrialization has led to an increase of disposal petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) and trace elements (TE) into the environment. These pollutants are considered as the most toxic contaminants in the world due to their persistence in the environment, and the long range of toxicological effects for living beings. Recent concerns regarding the environmental contamination have initiated the development of several remediation technologies, including physical, chemical, and biological approaches. In this thesis, gentle soil remediation options (GRO) were investigated at different scales for the reclamation of PHC and TE co-contaminated soil. In the first part of this thesis, laboratory experiments were performed to characterize PHC and TE contaminated soil as well as the indigenous microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) present inside these contaminated soil. It was found that the studied aged contaminated soil had a negative effect on earthworm’s development and L. sativum biomass. Moreover, a high respiration of microorganisms attributed to the transformation/ mineralization of organic matter or/and organic pollutants was observed. This presence of viable microorganisms suggested an adaptation of microorganisms to the contaminant. Further results showed that the long-term exposure of soil microorganisms to high PHC concentration and the type of isolation culture media did not influence the ability of isolates to effectively degrade PHC. However, phylogenic affiliation had a strong on PHC biodegradation. In the second part of this thesis, preliminary studies in greenhouse were assessed to investigate the ability of M. sativa assisted by compost in the greenhouse aided-phytoremediation of PHC and TE. It was found that compost incorporation into the soil promoted PHC degradation, M. sativa growth and survival, and phytoextraction of TE. Residual risk assessment after the phytoremediation trial also showed a positive effect of compost amendment on plant growth and earthworm development. Pilot scale ecopile experiment carried out in the third part of this thesis allow a reduction of up to 80% of PHC and 20% of metals after 17 months. This research demonstrated that M. sativa and H. annus were suitable for phytodegradation of PHC and phytoextraction of TE.  Results from this thesis are helpful for further full-scale phytoremediation studies.

A novel target-promoted DNA alkylation system was designed, which consists of a DNA intercalating/alkylating quinone methide (QM) precursor, a removable amine linker, and a sequence-specific delivery. The QM in this system was regenerated by eliminating the amino linker promoted by the hydrophobic interaction between the target DNA and the intercalating QM precursor. Three alkylation model systems (methoxyl polycyclic system, intramolecular hydrogen bonding system and biaryl system) were proposed and synthesized. The potential DNA QM alkylation was investigated by deoxyadenosine (dA) and deoxyguanosine (dG) alkylation with the biaryl system. Only one deoxynucleoside adduct was observed when dA or dG reacted with quinoline or naphthalene QM precursor, in which both dA adducts degraded with time, while dG adducts remained unchanged after 72h at room temperature. The quinoline dG adduct was fully characterized as quinoline dG N1 adduct by NMR techniques. Naphthalene dG was found as a 1:1 mixture of diastereomers.

Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP) sont des polluants persistants très répandus dans les écosystèmes du monde entier. L’utilisation des microorganismes pour la dégradation des HAP est une méthode économique et ayant un grand potentiel. Ce travail avait pour objectif d’étudier la dissolution et la biodégradation du phénanthrène (HAP modèle) en présence de tensioactifs. Les microorganismes choisis dans ce travail sont Pseudomonas putida DSMZ 8368 et un consortium microbien Pyr01. La première partie de la thèse concerne l’étude de l’effet des tensioactifs, de la dispersion et du traitement thermique sur la solubilité et la biodégradation du phénanthrène par P. putida DSMZ 8368. Les meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus en combinant l’utilisation d’un tensioactif Brij 30 (0,5 g L-1) avec un traitement thermique préliminaire. La deuxième partie présente les résultats sur la dégradation du phénanthrène par le consortium Pyr01. La comparaison entre la biodégradation du phénanthrène par P. putida DSMZ 8368 et le consortium Pyr01 a été réalisée. Contrairement à ce qui a été observé dans le cas de la biodégradation par P. putida DSMZ 8368, la présence du Brij 30 (0,5 g L-1) a eu un effet négatif sur la biodégradation du phénanthrène par le consortium Pyr01. La troisième partie de ce travail a consisté en l’étude de la solubilisation du phénanthrène au point de trouble du Brij 30. L’effet de l’abaissement de la température jusqu’à la valeur de la température de culture de P. putida DSMZ 8368 sur la solubilisation du phénanthrène a été également étudié. / Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent pollutants widely represented in ecosystems all over the world. The utilization of microorganisms for degradation of PAHs is an economically effective method having a great potential. The aim of the present work was to study the dissolution and the biodegradation of phenanthrene (model PAH) in the presence of surfactants. The chosen microorganisms were Pseudomonas putida DSMZ 8368 and a microbial consortium Pyr01.The first part of the thesis concerns the study of the effect of surfactants, dispersion and a thermal treatment on solubility and biodegradation of phenanthrene by P. putida DSMZ 8368. The best results were obtained by combining the use of Brij 30 surfactant with a preliminary thermal treatment. The second part presents results on the degradation of phenanthrene by Pyr01 consortium. The comparison between the biodegradation of phenanthrene by P. putida DSMZ 8368 and by Pyr01 consortium was done. Contrary to what has been observed in the case of the biodegradation by P. putida DSMZ 8368, the presence of Brij 30 (0.5 g L-1) had a negative effect on the biodegradation of phenanthrene by Pyr01 consortium. The third part of this work consisted in the study of phenanthrene solubilisation at cloud point of Brij 30. The effect of lowering the temperature to that of the culture conditions for P. putida DSMZ 8368 on the solubilization of phenanthrene was also studied.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the pollutants in the environment. They are organic compounds that consist of more than one aromatic ring (Kanchanamayoon & Tatrahun 2008). Due to less information forthcoming regarding the levels of PAHs in Vaal area, this study is to evaluate the levels of PAHs in the rivers around Vaal Triangle. Three river sites such as Vaal, Barrage and Klip Rivers were selected to investigate the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water. Validation of an analytical method is the process by which it is established by laboratory studies, that the performance characteristics of the method meet the requirements for the intended analytical application. (Stockl et al 2009). The validation parameters tested were, linearity detection limit of quantitation, sensitivity, accuracy, specificity, selectivity, robustness and ruggedness. PAHs can be determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) which is a technique for separation, identification and quantification of components in a mixture. The following ten compounds were identified and quantified with a HPLC: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo(a,h) anthracene and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene. The linear calibration ranges from 0.1-5ppm.The linearity ranges between 0.9993-0.9999.Three reversed sorbent phases (Strata-X, MFC18 and C18) were tested for PAH retention efficiency. An optimised reverse solid phase extraction (SPE) method was used after conditioning the sorbent to extract and collect compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in river water samples. LC18 sorbent showed good recoveries after extracting PAHs standard mixture of 1 mg/l. The best performing eluting solvent was acetonitrile and very good percentage recoveries that ranged from 70% to over 100 % were obtained for eight compounds. Poor recoveries were also obtained for phenanthrene (61%) and benzo(b)fluoranthene (48%). The standard deviation ranged from 0.01 to 0.05 and the detection limits ranging from 0.01 – 0.17 mg/l were obtained. Average concentration ranges of PAHs identified within the study area were: phenanthrene (0.02 – 0.42 mg/l); anthracene (0.37 – 0.39 mg/l), fluoranthene (0.11 – 0.15 mg/l); benzo(b)fluoranthene (0.09 mg/l) and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene (0.26 mg/l). However, naphthalene, acenaphthylene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene were not detected.

O crescente mercado dos produtos naturais, fomentado pelo interesse dos consumidores por alimentos que auxiliem a promoção da saúde, tem pressionado a indústria alimentícia na oferta por novos alimentos. Dentre estes alimentos, encontram-se os óleos vegetais extraídos a frio, reconhecidos por preservarem compostos bioativos característicos e, alguns deles, serem fontes de ácidos graxos (AG) essenciais. A categoria dos óleos e gorduras apresenta, dentre outros alimentos, uma importante fonte de exposição aos hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPAs), um grupo de contaminantes químicos orgânicos, alguns com ação carcinogênica. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os óleos vegetais extraídos a frio quanto aos parâmetros de identidade, de qualidade e à ocorrência de HPAs. Foram avaliadas 40 amostras, dez de cada tipo (coco, cártamo, prímula e linhaça), de diferentes marcas, adquiridas no comércio da cidade de São Paulo. Foram realizados os ensaios de perfil de AG, índice de acidez, índice de peróxido, p-anisidina, valor total de oxidação (totox) e HPAs (benzo(a)antraceno, criseno, benzo(b)fluoranteno e benzo(a)pireno). Quanto aos AG, catorze óleos (35 por cento ) não apresentaram perfis de ácidos graxos característicos que os declarados em seus rótulos, incluindo um de coco, quatro de cártamo e nove de prímula. Os valores para acidez estavam inadequados em relação a legislação para três óleos de linhaça (7,5 por cento ). Para o peróxido, quatro óleos (10 por cento ) estavam acima do limite da legislação, sendo dois de linhaça e dois de prímula. Os valores de p-anisidina variaram de &lt;LQ a 12,98, sendo o menor valor encontrado nas amostras de coco e o maior em uma de prímula, que apresentava um odor alterado. No ensaio de totox, 37,5% das amostras apresentaram valores acima da recomendação da literatura, especialmente os óleos de cártamo e prímula. Já para os HPAs, pelo menos um dos hidrocarbonetos analisados foi detectado em 97,5% das amostras avaliadas; três amostras de prímula (7,5%) apresentaram níveis acima do permitido pela Comunidade Européia para BaP e, para a soma dos 4 HPAs, oito óleos (20%) estavam em desacordo: dois de cártamo, quatro de prímula e dois de linhaça. Este trabalho expõe os problemas relacionados aos parâmetros de identidade, qualidade e contaminação dos óleos vegetais comercializados como extraídos a frio e reforçam a importância de um contínuo monitoramento destes produtos. / The natural product market growth, stimulated by the interest of consumers in foods that support health promotion, has encouraged the food industry to supply new kinds of foods. Among these are the cold-pressed vegetable oils, recognized by preserving characteristic bioactive compounds and, some of them, are sources of essential fatty acids (FA). The category of oils and fats owns, within others foods, an important source of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of organic chemical contaminants, some of them with carcinogenic activity. This study aimed at evaluating cold-pressed vegetable oils in relation to the PAHs occurrence, as well as the quality and identity parameters. Forty samples being ten of each type (coconut oil, safflower oil, evening primrose oil and flaxseed oil) of distinct brands, which were acquired in different markets from São Paulo, were evaluated. Fatty acids profile, acid value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, total oxidation value (totox) and PAHs (benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene) were analyzed. As for FA, fourteen oils (35 per cent ) showed different fatty acids profiles according to the ones on their labels, including one of coconut oil, four of safflower oils and nine of evening primrose oils. The acid values were unsuitable towards the legislation to three flaxseed oils (7.5 per cent ). As for peroxide values, four of the oils (10 per cent ) were above the legislation limit, including two of flaxseed oils and two of evening primrose ones. The p-anisidine values ranged from &lt;LOQ to 12.98, being the smallest value found in the coconut oils samples and the biggest ones in an evening primrose oil, which featured an altered odor. In the totox analysis, 37,5% of the samples presented values above the normal pattern according to literature, mailly the safflower and theevening primrose oils. Regarding the PAHs, at least one of the analyzed hydrocarbons was detected in 97,5% of the samples; three of the primrose samples (7,5%) had levels above those allowed by the European Community for BaP. According to the sum of 4 PAHs, eight oils (20%) were in disagreement: two of safflower oils, four of evening primrose oils and two of flaxseed oils. This study exposes problems related to identity and quality parameters, contamination of vegetable oils marketed as cold-pressed. It also aims at reinforcing the importance of a continuous monitoring os these products.

Atualmente, um dos problemas ambientais mais graves é a contaminação dos solos e das águas subterrâneas. Na Europa, já foram identificadas 300.000 áreas contaminadas ou potencialmente contaminadas e estima-se que exista 1,5 milhão. Nos Estados Unidos da América, já foram identificadas mais de 63.000. No Brasil, 1.336 áreas contaminadas foram identificadas apenas no Estado de São Paulo. Das tecnologias de remediação de áreas contaminadas, a biorremediação tem a vantagem de destruir os poluentes. No entanto, para aplicação de tal tecnologia, é necessário determinar a biodegradação dos compostos orgânicos no solo. No Brasil, faltam estes dados, pois os solos tropicais possuem características bem diferentes dos solos de regiões de clima temperado. O método respirométrico de Bartha, adaptado de uma norma holandesa, é um método simples e economicamente viável para determinar a atividade microbiológica pela geração de gás carbônico e, indiretamente, a biodegradação de contaminantes orgânicos no solo. No presente trabalho, foi estudada a sua aplicabilidade para um latossolo, tipo de solo predominante no Estado de São Paulo, utilizando como contaminante orgânico, o fenantreno. A partir dos resultados obtidos, foi possível verificar que o gás carbônico gerado não era resultante apenas da biodegradação do contaminante, mas também de reações abióticas ocorridas no solo, principalmente as de equilíbrio do carbonato de cálcio, adicionado para neutralizar o pH. Tal constatação dificulta a análise dos resultados obtidos nos ensaios de respirometria, já que o procedimento descrito na norma brasileira NBR 14283/99 relaciona diretamente a geração do gás carbônico à biodegradação do contaminante. Apesar desta dificuldade, foi possível verificar a biodegradação do fenantreno por microrganismos indígenas, que resistiram ao processo de esterilização. Verificou-se ainda, neste trabalho de pesquisa, a dificuldade de esterilização do solo em autoclave, o que limita a avaliação de remoção de contaminantes por outros mecanismos, tais como volatilização e adsorção. / Nowadays, one of the most serious environmental problems is the contamination of soil and groundwater. In Europe, 300,000 contaminated or potentially contaminated sites have already been identified and there it is estimated that 1.5 million contaminated sites exist. In the United States of America, more than 63,000 have already been identified. In Brazil, 1,336 contaminated sites have been identified in the State of São Paulo. Of the remediation technologies that can be applied for the recovery of these sites, bioremediation has the advantage of destroying the contaminants, but it is necessary to determine the degree to which they biodegrade in the soil. In Brazil, this data is lacking, since tropical soil has different characteristics than the soil of regions with temperate climates. Bartha’s respirometric method, adapted from a Dutch norm, is a simple and economically viable method for determining carbon dioxide generation and, indirectly, the biodegradation of organic contaminants in the soil. In this research, this method’s applicability was studied for a typical tropical soil, predominant in the State of São Paulo, using phenantrene as an organic contaminant. Based on the results of this study, it was possible to verify that the carbon dioxide generated resulted not only from the biodegradation of the contaminant, but also from abiotic reactions that occurred in the soil, mainly from the balance of calcium carbonate, added to neutralize the pH. This fact makes the analysis of the results of the respirometric tests more difficult, since the procedure described in Brazilian norm NBR 14283/99 relates the generation of carbon dioxide directly to the biodegradation of the contaminant. Despite this difficulty, it was possible to verify the biodegradation of the phenantrene for indigenous microorganisms. Furthermore, this research verified the difficulty of sterilizing the soil, which would make it difficult to evaluate the removal of contaminants by other mechanisms, such as volatilization and adsorption.

A citometria de fluxo é um método preciso, rápido e eficaz na avaliação de múltiplos parâmetros celulares, tanto estruturais como funcionais, propiciando a separação e o estudo de diferentes populações e sub-populações de células. No presente estudo, foram empregados métodos citométricos para caracterização dos diferentes tipos celulares sangüíneos de Centropomus parallelus, assim como para verificação da viabilidade celular, avaliação da atividade fagocítica e ativação do burst respiratório. Foram identificadas três sub-populações representativas de leucócitos: linfócitos, monócitos e trombócitos. Estas células foram estimuladas, in vitro, com Staphylococcus aureus, marcado com iodeto de propídeo (SAPI), lipopolissacarídeo de Escherichia coli (LPS) e zymosan, partículas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As respostas frente aos estímulos foram distintas de acordo com o tipo celular e o estímulo apresentado. Os monócitos apresentaram maiores percentuais de fagocitose frente ao estímulo provocado pela SAPI e pelo Zymosan; já a população que continha trombócitos entre outros tipos celulares (por exemplo: linfócitos), apresentou \"fagocitose\" significativa apenas para SAPI. O burst oxidativo detectado pela fluorescência emitida pelo diacetato 2´7´diclorofluoresceína (DCFH) foi significativo apenas quando estimulado com PMA (miristato-acetato de forbol), não apresentando resposta estatisticamente significante para os estímulos SAPI e LPS. Após a exposição ao naftaleno nas concentrações 10-3, 10-6, 10-9 M durante quatro horas, in vitro, houve um aumento na fagocitose realizado pelos monócitos e trombócitos, porém uma diminuição no burst oxidativo apresentado nas concentrações 10-6 e 10-9 M de naftaleno. Este resultado reflete, in vitro, uma resposta ao contaminante com significado imunológico desfavorável para o peixe, já que as células estão aumentando a atividade fagocítica sem conseguirem, teoricamente, destruir o agente invasor. A partir desses resultados preliminares, podemos avaliar melhor, algumas características da resposta imune inata desta espécie de peixe, presente na costa litorânea brasileira. Estes parâmetros imunofisiológicos podem servir como base para futuros estudos ecotoxicológicos tanto em laboratório mas também a campo. Estudos que utilizam a imunidade inata como indicador biológico de alterações ambientais causadas por poluentes diversos, podem evidenciar o grau de impacto toxicológico sobre esta espécie e agregar valor a sua importância econômica e ecológica. / Flow cytometry is a precise, fast, and effective method for the evaluation of several cellular parameters, both structural and functional, allowing the sorting and analysis of particular populations and sub-populations of cells. In this study, we employed cytometric methods on the caractherization of different blood cell types from Centropomus parallelus, and also verified cell viability, phagocytic activity and oxidative burst in these cells. Three sub-populations were identified: lymphocytes, monocytes, and trombocytes. These cells were stimulated in vitro with propidium iodide-conjugated Staphylococcus aureus (SAPI), Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or zymosan (Saccharomyces cerevisae particles). Responses to each individual stimulus differed according to cell type. Monocytes displayed the higher percentages of phagocytosis in presence of SAPI or zymosan; on the other hand, the population that included trombocytes, among other cell types (such as lymphocytes) only performed phagocytosis in a relevant level in the presence of SAPI. The oxidative burst, detected by fluorescence emitted by 2´7´dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH) was significant only after stimulation with PMA (phorbol myristate-acetate), but not when the stimulus was SAPI or LPS. Based on these preliminary results, the innate immune response in these animals (ubiquitous coastal waters of the Brazilian shore) can be further evaluated. Immunophysiological parameters in these species can build a solid ground for future ecotoxicological studies. Approaching innate immunity as a biological indicator of environmental changes induced by pollutants may support the degree of toxicological impact over these animals, and aggregate value to its current ecological and economical importance.

Investigar, em motores veiculares pesados, alimentados com combustível diesel, a emissão de dioxinas e furanos clorados (PCDD/Fs) e hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (PAHs), através da análise de material particulado e gases do sistema de exaustão. Investigar a mutagenicidade do material particulado e gases coletados. Material e Métodos: Os testes de emissão foram feitos em banco de provas dinamométrico de bancada de acordo com Ciclo 13 Pontos de testes, utilizando-se motores Diesel nacionais de aplicação veícular. Um mini-túnel de diluição foi usado para obtenção de amostras de material particulado. As análises de PCDD/Fs e PAHs foram realizadas em laboratório nacional. Para a análise de PCDD/Fs utilizou-se o método USEPA 8290 (1994) e para a análise de PAHs foi utilizado o método USEPA TO 13A (1999). A análise de mutagenicidade foi realizada de acordo com o Teste de Ames (TA98). Resultados: As medições de PCDD/Fs indicaram em geral valores abaixo do limite de detecção do método analítico. Em uma das amostras foi verificado que o OCDD ficou acima do limite de detecção, enquanto em outra isto ocorreu para o OCDF e para o 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF. Em relação aos PAHs analisados verificou-se a presença dos seguintes compostos: Naftaleno, Acenaftileno, Acenafteno, Fluoreno, Fenantreno, Antraceno, Fluoranteno, Pireno, Benzo[a]antraceno, Criseno, Benzo[b]fluoranteno, Benzo[k]fluoranteno. A média encontrada para 5 amostras analisadas foi de 3.580,5 µg/g de material particulado. Os PAHs encontrados neste trabalho indicam alguma similaridade com a literatura disponível, para valores em % e µg/g de material particulado total coletado. O teste de Ames indicou que o material particulado coletado de motores diesel tem alta atividade mutagênica. Conclusões: A emissão de PCDD/Fs, para o nível de tecnologia dos motores Diesel testados mostrou-se pouco significativa, considerando-se combustível conforme especificado e método e limite de detecção utillizados. Em relação aos PAHs, os resultados indicaram que motores diesel têm uma contribuição importante na formação destes compostos. A alta atividade mutagênica observada mostra que as emissões de veículos Diesel são potencialmente tóxicas. Recomenda-se a continuidade de estudos para definição da regulamentação desses poluentes. / To investigate emission of chlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in heavy duty diesel engines, through the analysis of particulate material and gases in the exhaust.To verify mutagenicity of collected particulate material and gasesous sample extracts. Material and Methods: The engine emissions tests were done in dynamometer test bench according to 13-Mode Cycle, using brazilian engines, vehicle application. A mini dilution tunnel was used to obtain particulate matter and gaseous sample. PCDD/Fs and PAHs analyses were carried out in a certified national laboratory. Dioxins and furans were analyzed according with Method 8290 (USEPA, 1994) and PAHs by Method TO13A (USEPA, 1999). The mutagenicity analyses were done in accordance with Ames test (TA98) Results: The measurements of dioxins and furans in diesel engines operating in controlled conditions in dynamomter bench test, had indicated emissions values in general below the detention limit of the analytical method. In one of the samples it was verified that the OCDD was above the detention limit, while in another one this occurred for OCDF and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF. In relation to 16 PAHs it was verified the presence of the following compounds: Naphthalene, Acenaphthylene, Acenaphthene, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Antracene, Fluorantene, Pyrene, Benzo[a]antracene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene and Benzo[k]fluorantene. The average value of the sum of PAHs found in five samples was 3,580.5 µg.g-1. The PAHs found in this study indicates some similarity with available literature for values in % and µg/g of particulate matter.The Ames test showed that the collected particulate material from diesel engines presents high mutagenic activity. Conclusion: The emission of PCDD/Fs, for the level of technology of the tested Diesel engines revealed little significant, considering the specified fuel, method of analysis and limit of detention used. In relation to the 16 PAHs, the tests results had indicated that diesel engines has an important contribution in the formation of these compounds. The high mutagenic activity observed shows that the emissions of Diesel vehicles are potentially toxic. The continuity of studies for definition of the regulation of these pollutants is recommended.