Where It Comes From
Vehicle exhaust; wood stoves and wildfires; industry (coke ovens, aluminum); tobacco smoke; grilled/smoked meats; coal tar and creosote products [1].
How You Are Exposed
Breathing polluted air; eating charred meats; skin contact with soot, used motor oil, coal‑tar sealcoat, or creosote‑treated wood; touching contaminated soil or dust [1].
Why It Matters
Part of PAH mixtures linked to cancer; chrysene causes tumors in animals and is classified by IARC as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) [1][2].
Who Is at Risk
People near heavy traffic or industry; workers using coal‑tar/sealants, paving/roofing, coke ovens, or aluminum smelters; smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke; infants, children, and pregnant people [1].
How to Lower Your Exposure
Don’t smoke; avoid secondhand smoke; limit charred/smoked foods; maintain and vent stoves; don’t burn trash; choose products without coal‑tar; wash off soot; wet‑wipe and HEPA‑vacuum dust [1].
References
- [1]ATSDR. Toxicological Profile for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2020.
- [2]IARC. Some Non-heterocyclic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Some Related Exposures. IARC Monographs, Volume 92, 2010.