A detailed comparison was done between the data about the F in coals published at home and abroad, and associated with the special situation in China. An introduction also was made to illuminate the forming, occurrence and accumulation of the F in coals and its potential hazard to human and environment. Analytical data of coal samples were referred to study the great difference of the F content between coals and gangue. The results show that the average value of the F in the coal samples collected in different coalfields of China is 304x10^6, while that of gangue samples is surprisingly 1 319x10^6, especially the F content of coal ash from Bangmai in Yunnan Province reaches 4 800x10^6. It has been proved in many provinces of China that burning the coal and clay mixture can produce F contamination.
Coal fires have a very long history in China; the oldest coal fires have being burning for many million years. Up to now more than 56 coal fires spots were distin-guished. They mainly locate in West-North of China, North of China and East-North of China. About millions of tons of coal have been burned in fires every year. Xinjiang Autonomy is the most serious region in coal fires as it has 38 coal fires spots and about 6.85 million tons of coal was burned every year. Coal fires in China ignited by wildfires, spontaneous combustion and human being during mining activities. These fires have re-leased about 0.9 million tons of gasses (including CO, CO2, SO2, NO2 CH4, CO2, H2S etc.) into the atmosphere every year, most of which are brought to the east by wind and result-ing more heavier air pollution in northern China.
