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Volume 16
Issue 11
10.3390/atmos16111311
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Comparative Study of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs at Marine and Forest Background Stations in Shimane, Japan (2022–2024)

by
Yan Wang
1,
Pengchu Bai
1,
Xuan Zhang
2,
Shingo Matsumoto
3,
Tamon Yamashita
3,
Masa-aki Yoshida
3,
Seiya Nagao
4,
Ammara Habib
5,6,
Bushra Khalid
7,
Lulu Zhang
4,8,9,
Bin Chen
10,11,12,* and
Ning Tang
4,13,14,*
1
Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
2
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan Organization of Occupational Health and Safety, Kawasaki 214-8585, Japan
3
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Shimane University, Matsue 690-8504, Japan
4
Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
5
The Urban Unit, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
6
International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100017, China
7
China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Higher Education Commission, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
8
School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
9
Key Laboratory of Intelligent Health Perception and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
10
Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210044, China
11
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
12
Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Qilu Zhongke, Jinan 251401, China
13
Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
14
College of Energy and Power, Shenyang Institute of Engineering, Shenyang 110136, China
 
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Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Atmosphere 2025, 16(11), 1311; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111311
Submission received: 15 October 2025 / Revised: 13 November 2025 / Accepted: 17 November 2025 / Published: 20 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Air Quality and Health)
Versions Notes

Abstract

To clarify the pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) in the East Asian monsoon region under different atmospheric environments and to assess their potential influences on receptor areas, this study selected two background monitoring stations with different environments in Shimane Prefecture, Japan: a marine station (MB) and a forest station (SF). PM2.5 samples were simultaneously collected using a high-volume sampler during the summer and winter of 2022–2023, and ten PAHs and three NPAHs were quantified using HPLC. The concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs at MB and SF exhibited significant seasonal variations in 2022 (winter > summer). However, in 2023, a clear seasonal difference was observed only at MB. Isomer ratio analysis of PAHs at both stations indicated that traffic emissions and biomass or coal combustion were major contributors. Seasonal variations in the [2-NFR]/[1-NP] ratio indicated that, while high ratios at MB and SF during summer were mainly associated with local photochemical formation, low ratios in winter reflected long-range transportation of combustion-derived PAHs and NPAHs from the Asian continent. Incremental lifetime cancer risk values (10−7 to 10−11) indicated that even at background stations, the atmospheric environment poses certain health risks. This first comparative investigation of PAHs and NPAHs at two distinct background stations in Shimane again highlights the importance of international cooperation among East Asian countries for effective air pollution control.
Keywords: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; background monitoring station; East Asia; transboundary pollution polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; background monitoring station; East Asia; transboundary pollution

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, Y.; Bai, P.; Zhang, X.; Matsumoto, S.; Yamashita, T.; Yoshida, M.-a.; Nagao, S.; Habib, A.; Khalid, B.; Zhang, L.; et al. Comparative Study of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs at Marine and Forest Background Stations in Shimane, Japan (2022–2024). Atmosphere 2025, 16, 1311. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111311

AMA Style

Wang Y, Bai P, Zhang X, Matsumoto S, Yamashita T, Yoshida M-a, Nagao S, Habib A, Khalid B, Zhang L, et al. Comparative Study of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs at Marine and Forest Background Stations in Shimane, Japan (2022–2024). Atmosphere. 2025; 16(11):1311. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111311

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Yan, Pengchu Bai, Xuan Zhang, Shingo Matsumoto, Tamon Yamashita, Masa-aki Yoshida, Seiya Nagao, Ammara Habib, Bushra Khalid, Lulu Zhang, and et al. 2025. "Comparative Study of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs at Marine and Forest Background Stations in Shimane, Japan (2022–2024)" Atmosphere 16, no. 11: 1311. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111311

APA Style

Wang, Y., Bai, P., Zhang, X., Matsumoto, S., Yamashita, T., Yoshida, M.-a., Nagao, S., Habib, A., Khalid, B., Zhang, L., Chen, B., & Tang, N. (2025). Comparative Study of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Nitro-PAHs at Marine and Forest Background Stations in Shimane, Japan (2022–2024). Atmosphere, 16(11), 1311. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111311

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