LTR - Ep 65 - What Are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons aka PAHs?

PAHs are a group of over 100 different chemical compounds.

However, in each of those chemical compounds, there are lots of derivatives.

So it ends up being that PAHs are over thousands of different types of chemical compounds formed during the incomplete burning of physical substances such as different petroleum products like coal and oil and fuels to physical things in nature like wood to man-made things like garbage or other types of physical organic substances.

So what happens is in the combustion or burning process or the incomplete burning process for that matter, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are generated and they're released into our environment.

And they are very persistent, just like in our last episode when we talked about PCBs.

they are persistent to breaking down naturally in the environment.

So they take a long time to break down, and that makes it easier for them to travel and spread.

And so for that reason, they are a major environmental pollutant because they're toxic and carcinogenic as well.

They've been found to be toxic.

cancerous, creating cancer.

So for that reason, PAHs are a major environmental contaminant of concern.

So what exactly are PAHs? Again, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

So Again, the poly part meaning many and cyclic meaning multiple things combined to the compounds.

A lot of them are actually, many of them are benzene-based, okay? And so we all know that benzene is not a good chemical.

It's toxic to human health and our environment.

So There's lots of different derivatives that attach different things to benzene.

Multiple benzene rings attach to themselves and some other things join them and lots of benzene rings there.

Again, it comes from the incomplete burning or combustion of physical things.

PAHs are a group of over 100 different chemical compounds.

However, in each of those chemical compounds, there are lots of derivatives.

So it ends up being that PAHs are over thousands of different types of chemical compounds formed during the incomplete burning of physical substances such as different petroleum products like coal and oil and fuels to physical things in nature like wood to man-made things like garbage or other types of physical organic substances.

So what happens is in the combustion or burning process or the incomplete burning process for that matter, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are generated and they're released into our environment.

And they are very persistent, just like in our last episode when we talked about PCBs.

they are persistent to breaking down naturally in the environment.

So they take a long time to break down, and that makes it easier for them to travel and spread.

And so for that reason, they are a major environmental pollutant because they're toxic and carcinogenic as well.

They've been found to be toxic.

cancerous, creating cancer.

So for that reason, PAHs are a major environmental contaminant of concern.

So what exactly are PAHs? Again, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

So Again, the poly part meaning many and cyclic meaning multiple things combined to the compounds.

A lot of them are actually, many of them are benzene-based, okay? And so we all know that benzene is not a good chemical.

It's toxic to human health and our environment.

So There's lots of different derivatives that attach different things to benzene.

Multiple benzene rings attach to themselves and some other things join them and lots of benzene rings there.

Again, it comes from the incomplete burning or combustion of physical things.