Table 2 Comparisons of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels (median, ng/m³) between kitchens and dining areas in 19 Chinese restaurants

PAH	Dining areas(n = 76)	Kitchens(n = 76)
Pyrene	0.2	3.3*
Benzo(k)fluroranhene	0.2	1.4*
Benzo(a)pyrene	1.2	5.9*
Benzo(ghi)perylene	0.6	5.2*
Dibenzo(a,e)pyrene	1.8	8.7*
Summed PAHs†	4.9	23.9*

*Kitchen staff differ significantly from service staff at p<0.001 by Mann–Whitney U test; †summed PAHs: sum of pyrene, benzo(k)fluroranhene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(ghi)perylene and dibenzo(a,e)pyrene.