Polycyclic Organic Matter

vehicle exhaust; wood or coal stoves and wildfires; tobacco smoke; industrial processes (coke ovens, aluminum smelting); charred or smoked foods; asphalt, roofing tar, and creosote [1][2].

breathing smoky or traffic air or secondhand smoke; eating grilled/charred/smoked foods; skin contact with soot, tar, creosote, or contaminated soil/dust [1][2].

increased cancer risk; can irritate eyes and lungs, worsen asthma, affect the heart, and may harm fetal and child development [1][3][4].

workers around combustion products (roofing/asphalt, coke ovens, foundries, aluminum smelting, firefighting); people near heavy traffic or using wood stoves; smokers and their families; pregnant people and young children [1][2].

avoid smoke; use cleaner heating and good ventilation; limit charred/smoked foods; wet-wipe and HEPA vacuum to control dust; wash hands after soot/tar contact; follow PPE and job safety rules [1][2].