Introduction:
Background: In Silesia Region the process of restructurization of economic changes undoubtedly resulted in significant reduction of air pollution. However, concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are still high and exceed the permissible standard. Thus the aim of our study was to evaluate air pollution by benzo[a]pyrene in Silesia in the years 1983–1990/1991–1998/1999–2005.

Material and Methods:
In the study, we used the statistical output data of air pollution obtained from particular measurement stations in the Silesian Region. The measurements were taken in the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Katowice city as a procedure of environmental monitoring. Concentration values for BaP obtained from particular measurement stations were used to calculate the average annual concentrations for Katowice, Bytom, Chorzów, Dàbrowa Górnicza, Gliwice, Mysłowice, Ruda Âlàska, Rybnik, Tychy, Wodzisław, Zabrze, Zawiercie.

Results:
On the basis of the laboratory results, it was concluded that air levels of BaP in the administrative zones of Silesian Region were many times higher than standard allowable norm of average annual concentration, i.e. 1ng/m³. Over the study period, the highest content of BaP was registered in the air of cities localized in the industrialm area of the region. In the period 1983–1990 the average annual concentrations of BaP ranged from 42.00 to 272.00 ng/m³. In the years 1991–1998 the concentrations of BaP were from 9.13 to 44.83 ng/m³, and the average annual concentrations of BaP in the period 1999–2005 were from 12.21 to 20.52 ng/m³.

Conclusions:
At the beginning of the 1980s, a significant decrease in concentration of atmospheric benzo[a]pyrene was observed in the agglomeration