Distribution of 10 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the gas phase of air from selected indoor and outdoor areas of Selangor and Malacca, Malaysia has been investigated. A locally designed Semi Permeable Membrane Device (SPMD) was applied for passive air sampling for 37 days at selected locations. Cleanup was carried out with Gas Purge-Micro Syringe Extraction (GP-MSE) and the final analysis was using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). In this study, 6 indoor and 12 outdoor

more »

... ocations were selected for air sampling. A total of 10 compounds of PAHs (Ʃ 10 PAHs) were determined in the range of 0.218 ng/m 3-1.692 ng/m 3 and 0.378 ng/m 3-1.492 ng/m 3 in outdoor and indoor samples respectively. In the outdoor samples, locations such as near a petrol station and heavy traffic showed the maximum levels of Ʃ 10 PAHs, while rooftop samples showed the lowest Ʃ 10 PAHs. The distribution of gas phase Ʃ 10 PAHs was influenced by vehicular emission. Low molecular weight (LMW) compounds (2-3 rings) were dominant in all samples (>70%) indicating that SPMD has successfully sampled the gas phase of the air.