We have been investigating atmospheric Benzo [a] pyrene (BaP) concentration in an industrial and commercial area in Fukuoka Prefecture since 1959. The determination of BaP in dustfall collected by a deposit gauge and high volume air sampler was carried out with a spectrophotometry after the BaP separation using an aluminum column and acetylated paper or high performance liquid chromatograph equipped with a spectrofluorometer.
Yearly mean values of BaP concentration in dustfall and airborne particulate in Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City have decreased since 1969, after the Control Law of Air pollution was passed.
The highest amounts of BaP detected in airborne particulate during this investigation was 121.3μg/1000 m³ measured in Kitakyushu City, in November 1967. Yearly mean concentration of BaP in Kitakyushu City was less than 2μg/ 1000m³ in recent years. Seasonal variation in polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon concentration showed a tendency to rise in winter and decline in summer.
The correlation between BaP and other substances in atmosphere, daily variations in BaP concentration, and relationship between lung cancer death rates and air pollution in Kitakyushu City were investigated respectively.

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Various particles such as aerosols and soils are present in the environment and can be places for gas-solid heterogeneous chemical reactions, which are different from gas-phase homogeneous chemical reactions. Here, in addition to experimental techniques for studying the heterogeneous chemical reactions, especiall y under photoirradiation, the researches on 1) adsorption and oxidation reaction of sulfur dioxide, 2) adsorption and chemical reactions of nitrogen oxides and 3) chemical reactions of gaseous organics, are reviewed. The role of the heterogeneous chemical reactions in atmospheric environment pollutions is discussed.

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In order to evaluate the temporal variation of the spatial distribution patterns of NO2 concentration, the daily average concentration was measured by using diffusion samplers at 100 lattice points with about 2 km intervals in an area of twenty kilometers square in the suburbs of Tokyo. The survey was carried out during a period of 10 days each in December 1985 and in June 1986. Analysis of variance of a two way classification with main effects for days and sampling sites, and principal component analysis of their interaction terms showed the following characteristics. Such features obtained from the survey carried out in 1984 in the area with 5.5km square were reconfirmed as:(1) Variance among days was extremely large: daily average concentration varies with human activities and meteorological conditions.(2) Spatial distribution pattern that the concentration is high in the vicinity of a main road and a crossing was distinct comparing its variance with that due to interaction term. The new findings are:(3) Interaction terms varied firstly with seasonal conditions and secondly with wind.(4) The correlation of one site's concentration with its surrounding sites' concentrations changes strongly with sites and some sites show strong anisotropy. Spatial auto-correlation shows strong daily changes and anisotropy reflecting the wind.(5) Some subareas were found with strong local variation of concentration and some with stable variation.(6) Magnitude of error variances obtained were rather larger than that obtained through the surveys carried out in 1984.

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In order to evaluate the spatio-temporal variation of NO₂concentration, a survey was carried out to obtain spatial patterns of daily average concentration during a period of 10days in February 1988, by using diffusion samplers. Sampling sites were located at about 2km intervals in the suburbs of Tokyo and at about 1km inter vals in its subarea. The obtained data were analyzed, along with the data from 4 previous surveys conducted in 1984 to 1986, through the analysis of variance of a two way classification and a median polish fit with main effects for days and sampling sites. Analysis confirmed the previous result that variance between days was larger than variance between sites, variation of these two main effects were related to meteorological condition and/ or to the traffic volume, and that magnitude of variance associated with days, sites and residuals varied with the seasons and areas surveyed. Stability of the spatial distribution was examined in this report, and the following results were obtained:(1) variance due to residual was relatively large for daily average data, that is spatial pattern varied day by day according to meteorological and traffic condition, while spatial pattern of average over 7 or 10 days were comparatively stable, (2) a site near a principal road sometimes showed a large residual, and (3) some parameters indicating spread between tail parts of a distribution should be used to evaluate residuals as well as the standard deviation.

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In order to evaluate the state of the environmental pollution in Chiba Prefecture, the correlation between sulphur oxides concentration in ambient air and sulphur content in the leaves of woody plants (Platanus acerifolia Willd., Salix babylonica L., Robinia pseudo-acacia L., Viburnum awabukiK. Koch, Juniperus chinensisL., andNerium indicumMill.) has been investigated. Sampling was made once every two months during the period from May 1984 to March 1986. Sulphur in the leaves of woody plants was analyzed by BaSO₄gravimetry and sulphur oxides was measured by PbO₂method.
The results obtained from these experiments as follows: 1. The sulphur concentrations were between 0.06 and 0.43mg S0₃/d/ 100 cm² Pb0₂ and the value of the concentration in the industrial area was four times higher than that of the concentration in the agricultural area. 2. The sulphur content in the leaves ofP. acerifoliaWilld., S. babylonicaL., R. pseudo-acaciaL., V. awabukiK. Koch., J. chinensisand N.indicumMill. were 0.84-1.21, 0.98-1.88, 0.96-1.45, O.93-3.93, 1.05-4.96 and 0.92-3.07 mg/g dry weight, respectively.
3. The correlation formula between sulphur oxides concentration and sulphur content in the leaves of the woody plants was Y=1.25 X-46 and its coefficient of correlation (r) was 0.76. Especially, the correlation formula of it in the industrial area was Y=1.28 X-0.42 and its coefficient of correlation (r) was 0.84.

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In order to obtain some knowledge on the toxicity of apparently long-lived and highly reactive gas-phase radicals from combustion of organic materials, we have studied their possibility to initiate autoxidation of methyl linoleate, which is a typical model compound of lipid, one of the most principle constituent of biomembrane, using the oxygen absorption method.
As a result, we can say that gas-phase radicals in combustion smoke should principally initiate autoxidation of methyl linoleate. Key words: combustion smoke, methyl linoleate, autoxidation, gas-phase radicals

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Trace elements of human lung tissues were determined by neutron activation analysis. About 200 samples were collected from laboratories or hospitals of several cities in Japan. These samples were obtained by operations or dissections of women over 40 years old who had taken a lung cancer disease.
Elements were classified in three by the distribution type among the samples:(1) elements which have small concentration ranges (Na, Cl, Se and Zn), (2) elements which have wide concentration ranges (Cr and Sb), (3) elements with a long foot on the higher concentration side (Al and Sc). The cause of higher concentrations of Br, Cr and Sb in large city samples were supposed to the influence of air pollutants. Accumulation of some elements (Al, Sb and Sc) in older aged lung tissues were recognized clearly. The elements which contained mainly in atmospheric particulate matters mutually have high correlation coefficients. Though obvious results could not be got concerning with the lung cancer, some subjects about few elementsfor a future study were found.

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A new method was developed to evaluate experimentally the load of atmospheric trichloroethylene (TCE) on the contamination of soil by sue of osil (pot soil) packed i n Wagner Pots and polypropylene pots. This method was applied to deter-mine the amount of TCE to the soil through air and/or rain water at a metalware factory where TCE was used as a degreasing agent. It appears that the amount of TCE to the soil through air was much more than that through rain fall, and about 80% of TCE supplied to the soil was volatilized again to the atmosphere. Moreover, only several to some dozen percent of remaining TCE in the pot soil moved more than 12cm deep in the soil for 24 days with precipitation of 26mm.

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[in Japanese]

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