Abstract
The amounts of benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)p] in atmospheric environment were measured as an air pollution index. In Japan, there are few studies which observed atmospheric B(a)p concentrations over a long period of decades including the time when the Air Pollution Control Law was enforced in 1967. The seasonal variations of B(a)p amounts in dustfall and suspended particulate matter were observed in the northern part of Kyushu Island, namely, large amounts of B(a)p were detected in winter and small amounts in summer. The maximum amount detected in that area was 121.3 μg/1,000m3 in November, 1967 and gradually decreased to the level of less than 5μg/1,000m3 after the Control Law was passed. The transition of atmospheric B(a)p in Japan in recent decades, the comparison of atmospheric B(a)p between Japan and other countries, the correlation between B(a)p and metals in atmosphere, and retrospective studies on lung cancer death rates and air pollution in the northern part of Kyushu were reviewed.
