Characterisation and seasonal variations of particles in the atmosphere of rural, urban and industrial areas: Organic compounds Fabrice Cazier 1, ⁎ , Paul Genevray 1 , Dorothée Dewaele 1 , Habiba Nouali 1 , Anthony Verdin 2 , Frédéric Ledoux 2 , Adam Hachimi 3 , Lucie Courcot 4 , Sylvain Billet 2 , Saâd Bouhsina 2 , Pirouz Shirali 2 , Guillaume Garçon 2,5 , Dominique Courcot 2 1. Common Center of Measurements (CCM), Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, F-59140 Dunkirk, France. E-mail Fabrice.Cazier@univ-littoral.fr 2. Unit of Environmental Chemistry and Interactions with Life, UCEIV-EA4492, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, F-59140 Dunkirk, France 3. MicroPolluants Technologie SA, 4 Rue de Bort Les Orgues, F-57070 Saint Julien Les Metz, France 4. Oceanology and Geosciences Laboratory, LOG UMR 8187, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, F-62230 Wimereux, France 5. Impact of Chemical Environment on Human Health, Univ. Lille, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, EA4483-IMPECS, 59000 LILLE, France ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received 22 April 2015 Revised 22 December 2015 Accepted 22 January 2016 Available online 2 March 2016 Atmospheric aerosol samples (PM 2.5–0.3 , i.e., atmospheric particles ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 μm) were collected during two periods: spring–summer 2008 and autumn–winter 2008– 2009, using high volume samplers equipped with cascade impactors. Two sites located in the Northern France were compared in this study: a highly industrialised city (Dunkirk) and a rural site (Rubrouck). Physicochemical analysis of particulate matter (PM) was undertaken to propose parameters that could be used to distinguish the various sources and to exhibit seasonal variations but also to provide knowledge of chemical element composition for the interpretation of future toxicological studies. The study showed that PM 2.5–0.3 concentration in the atmosphere of the rural area remains stable along the year and was significantly lower than in the urban or industrial ones, for which concentrations increase during winter. High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, furans and dioxin like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), generated by industrial activities, traffic and municipal wastes incineration were detected in the samples. Specific criteria like Carbon Preference Index (CPI) and Combustion PAHs/Total PAHs ratio (CPAHs/TPAHs) were used to identify the possible sources of atmospheric pollution. They revealed that paraffins are mainly emitted by biogenic sources in spring–summer whereas as in the case of PAHs, they have numerous anthropogenic emission sources in autumn-winter (mainly from traffic and domestic heating). © 2016 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. Keywords: Environmental monitoring Airborne particles PAHs Paraffins Dioxins Introduction The knowledge on atmospheric pollutants, particularly on their origin and concentration, is essential to assess their impact on environment and on human health. While the evidence for the health adverse effects of air pollution related to particulate matter (PM) has been growing these last decades, outdoor air pollution and fine PM were recently JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 44 (2016) 45 – 56 ⁎ Corresponding author. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2016.01.014 1001-0742/© 2016 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect www.elsevier.com/locate/jes