Dibenz 'a'',''h''nthracene, Benzo etraphene or 1,2:5,6-Dibenzanthracene is an organic compound with the

chemical formula A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, such as pare ...

C₂₂H₁₄. It is a

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon A Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is any member of a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple fused aromatic rings. Most are produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter— by engine exhaust fumes, tobacco, incine ...

(PAH) made of five fused

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

rings. It is a fused five-ringed PAH which is common as a pollutant of smoke and oils. It is stable and highly genotoxic in bacterial and mammalian cell systems, as it intercalates into DNA and causes mutations.

Description

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene is a

with five

rings. It has low water solubility and low volatility and therefore occurs predominantly in solid form, white to light yellow crystalline, bound to particulates in polluted air, soil, or sediment. It was first synthesized in 1918.

Occurrence

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene is generated whenever organic matter or fuel is incompletely burnt or combusted. Examples include industrial emissions such as coke oven operations in the coal and steel industry,

coal tar Coal tar is a thick dark liquid which is a by-product of the production of coke and coal gas from coal. It is a type of creosote. It has both medical and industrial uses. Medicinally it is a topical medication applied to skin to treat psoria ...

distillation, or within engine exhaust. On a personal level it is produced with high temperature cooking like

frying Frying is the cooking of food in cooking oil, oil or another fat. Similar to sautéing, pan-fried foods are generally turned over once or twice during cooking to make sure that the food is evenly cooked, using tongs or a spatula, whilst sautéed ...

grilling Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...

, broiling,

roasting Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelizat ...

and baking, but also when

cigarette smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed to hav ...

or marijuana smoking.

Health effects

As of 2010, dibenz(a,h)anthracene has been classified as ''probably

carcinogenic A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and Biological agent, biologic agent ...

'' to humans, grouped into IARC group 2A. No epidemiological studies on human exposure to dibenz(a,h)anthracene as an individual PAH exists, because PAHs always occur as components of complex chemical mixtures and never occur in isolation in the environment.

References

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons {{hydrocarbon-stub

Description

Occurrence

Health effects

See also

References