Insights into the\nFormation of Chlorinated Polycyclic\nAromatic Hydrocarbons Related to Chlorine in Salt-Tolerant Rice: Profiles\nin Market Samples, Effects of Saline Cultivation, and Household Cooking

Halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (XPAHs)\npresent potential\nrisk owing to their greater toxicity than PAHs. This study aimed to\nexplore their profiles in commercial salt-tolerant rice, effects of\nsaline cultivation (0‰ and 3‰ saline conditions), and\nformation during home cooking. A validated SPE–GC–MS/MS\nmethod was used to analyze PAHs and XPAHs in 16 commercial salt-tolerant\nrice samples. The PAH24 and XPAH18 concentrations were 6.95–32.73\nμg kg<sup>–1</sup> and 0.013–0.593 μg kg<sup>–1</sup>, respectively. Chlorinated PAHs (ClPAHs) were significantly\ngreater in salt-tolerant rice (0.14 μg kg<sup>–1</sup>) than in normal rice (0.048 μg kg<sup>–1</sup>). During\ncooking, a notable increase (210–1120%) in ClPAHs and a significant\ncorrelation (<i>r</i> = 0.70–0.81, <i>p</i> < 0.05) between newly formed ClPAHs and their parent PAHs were\nobserved, suggesting cooking-induced chlorination of PAHs. Moreover,\nchlorine radical-induced chlorination of PAHs may be the primary mechanism\ninvolved. These findings highlight increased exposure to ClPAHs due\nto saline cultivation and cooking and provide new insight into ClPAH\nformation from household cooking.