Recent Advances in the Study of the Remediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Compound (PAC)-Contaminated Soils: Transformation Products, Toxicity, and Bioavailability Analyses

Polycyclic
aromatic compounds (PACs) encompass a diverse group
of compounds, often found in historically contaminated sites. Different
experimental techniques have been used to remediate PAC-contaminated
soils. This brief review surveyed more than 270 studies concerning
remediation of PAC-contaminated soils and found that, while these
studies often measured the concentration of 16 parent polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) pre- and post-remediation, only a fraction of
the studies included the measurement of PAC transformation products
(PAC-TPs) and other PACs (n = 33). Only a few studies
also incorporated genotoxicity/toxicity/mutagenicity analysis pre-
and post-remediation (n = 5). Another aspect that
these studies often neglected to include was bioavailability, as none
of the studies that included measurement of PAH-TPs and PACs included
bioavailability investigation. On the basis of the literature analysis,
future remediation studies need to consider chemical analysis of PAH-TPs
and PACs, genotoxicity/toxicity/mutagenicity, and bioavailability
analyses pre- and post-remediation. These assessments will help address
numerous concerns, including, among others, the presence, properties,
and toxicity of PACs and PAH-TPs, risk assessment of soil post-remediation,
and the bioavailability of PAH-TPs. Other supplementary techniques
that aid in these analyses and recommendations for future analyses
are also discussed.