Abstract: Exposure characteristics of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in public exercise and recreational places during workdays and weekends in Taiyuan were explored by SUMMA canisters for air sampling, and Entech 7100-Agilent 7890A gas chromatography/5975C mass selective detector (GC-MSD) for analysis. A total of 51 species of VOCs were identified, including alkanes (47.27%), aromatics (43.40%) and alkenes (9.33%), respectively. The average exposure of total VOCs of target compounds was 94.83 μg/m³ in all five places. The exposure level of benzene in Taiyuan (5.22 μg/m³) exceeded the annual concentration standard (5 μg/m³) required by the European Community, which is higher than that in many domestic and foreign cities. The highest and lowest VOCs exposure levels were found in Children's Park (151.39 μg/m³) and Longtan Park (64.55 μg/m³), respectively. The differences may attribute to the different geographic characteristics of the two places. Children's Park is located in the largest business district in Taiyuan, and is surrounded by dense construction, which severely prevents the dispersion of air VOCs pollutants, while the open terrain of Longtan Park benefits their spread. The exposure levels of VOCs in Children's Park were significantly higher during weekends than workdays, reflecting the influence of human activities on the exposure level of VOCs in the atmosphere. Based on the four-step evaluation model of health risk assessment, volatile pollutants would not cause non-carcinogenic health to the exposed population on the workdays and weekends. The benzene-associated cancer risk on the workdays (3.39×10-7) and weekends (8.44×10-7) were lower than that recommended by US EPA (1.0×10-6). Source identification by analyzing the concentration ratios of the typical compounds indicated that atmospheric VOCs in public places in Taiyuan were mainly from coal combustion and vehicle exhaust emissions.