Mass size distributions of ambient aerosol were measured in Zabrze, a heavily industrialized city of Poland, during a summer and a winter season. The chemical analyses of the surface layer of PM(10), PM(2.5) and PM(1) in this area were also performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results suggested that the influence of an atmospheric aerosol on the health condition of Zabrze residents can be distinctly stronger in winter than in summer because of both: higher concentration level of particulate matter (PM) and higher contribution of fine particles in winter season compared to summer. In Zabrze in June (summer) PM(10) and PM(2.5) reached about 20 and 14 μg/m(3), respectively, while in December (winter) 57 and 51 μg/m(3), respectively. The XPS analysis showed that elemental carbon is the major surface component of studied airborne particles representing about 78%-80% (atomic mass) of all detected elements.