A wide variety of sampling techniques and strategies are needed to analyze polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) and interpret their distributions in various environmental media (i.e., air, water, snow, soils, sediments, peat, and biological material). In this review, we provide a summary of commonly employed sampling methods and strategies, as well as a discussion of routine and innovative approaches used to quantify and characterize PACs in frequently targeted environmental samples, with specific examples and applications in Canadian investigations. The pros and cons of different analytical techniques, including gas chromatography – flame ionization detection (GC-FID), GC low-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-LRMS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet, fluorescence or MS detection, GC high-resolution MS (GC-HRMS) and compound-specific stable (δ¹³C, δ²H) and radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C) isotope analysis are considered. Using as an example research carried out in Canada's Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR), where alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur-containing dibenzothiophenes are frequently targeted, the need to move beyond the standard list of sixteen EPA priority PAHs and for adoption of an AOSR bitumen PAC reference standard are highlighted.

需要多种采样技术和策略来分析多环芳族化合物（PAC）并解释其在各种环境介质（例如，空气，水，雪，土壤，沉积物，泥炭和生物材料）中的分布。在这篇综述中，我们提供了常用采样方法和策略的摘要，并讨论了用于量化和表征经常作为目标的环境样品中PAC的常规和创新方法，并提供了具体示例和在加拿大调查中的应用。各种分析技术的优缺点，包括气相色谱–火焰电离检测（GC-FID），GC低分辨率质谱（GC-LRMS），具有紫外，荧光或MS检测的高效液相色谱（HPLC），¹³ C，δ ² H）和放射性碳（Δ ¹⁴ C）同位素分析被考虑。以在加拿大阿萨巴斯卡油砂地区（AOSR）进行的研究为例，该地区经常以烷基化的多环芳烃和含硫的二苯并噻吩为目标，因此有必要超越16种EPA优先PAH的标准清单并采用AOSR突出了沥青PAC参考标准。