Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rural and urban areas of northern China

•Atmospheric PAHs in rural and urban areas of northern China were measured.•PAH concentrations in rural villages were similar to those in cities.•PAH pollution in western China is as severe as that in the east.•A more profound seasonality of PAHs was observed in the rural area.•Energy consumption and meteorological conditions explain 48% of the total variance.

Air pollution in rural China has often been ignored, especially for the less developed west China. Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured monthly at 11 rural sites (5 rural villages and 6 rural fields) together with 7 urban stations in northern China between April 2010 and March 2011. PAH concentrations at rural village sites were similar to those in urban areas and significantly higher than those in rural fields, indicating severe contamination in rural villages. PAH concentrations in the west were similar to those in the more developed North China Plain, and higher than those along the coast. Such a geographical distribution is mainly caused by the differences in residential energy consumption and meteorological conditions, which can explain approximately 48% of the total variation in PAH concentrations. With heavy dependence on biofuel combustion for heating, seasonality in rural areas is more profound than that in urban areas.