The molecule can be viewed as the fusion of naphthalene and benzene unit connected by a five-membered ring.

Traces of fluoranthene is found in many combustion products, along with other PAHs.

It is still obtained from the high boiling fraction of coal tar, representing a few percent by weight.

[3] Fluoranthene is one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 16 priority pollutant PAHs.

[4] In 2019, fluoranthene was added to the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) due to its persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) properties.