Particulate matter in the indoor air of classrooms—exploratory results from Munich and surrounding area

Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association between particle mass (PM) concentration in outside air and the occurrence of health related problems and/or diseases. However, much less is known about indoor PM concentrations and associated health risks. In particular, data are needed on air quality in schools, since children are assumed to be more vulnerable to health hazards and spend a large part of their time in classrooms.On this background, we evaluated indoor air quality in 64 schools in the city of Munich and a neighbouring district outside the city boundary. In winter 2004–2005 in 92 classrooms, and in summer 2005 in 75 classrooms, data on indoor air climate parameters (temperature, relative humidity), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and various dust particle fractions (PM₁₀, PM_2.5) were collected; for the latter both gravimetrical and continuous measurements by laser aerosol spectrometer (LAS) were implemented. In the summer period, the particle number concentration (PNC), was determined using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). Additionally, data on room and building characteristics were collected by use of a standardized form. Only data collected during teaching hours were considered in analysis. For continuously measured parameters the daily median was used to describe the exposure level in a classroom.The median indoor CO₂ concentration in a classroom was 1603 ppm in winter and 405 ppm in summer. With LAS in winter, median PM concentrations of 19.8 μg m⁻³ (PM_2.5) and 91.5 μg m⁻³ (PM₁₀) were observed, in summer PM concentrations were significantly reduced (median PM_2.5=12.7 μg m⁻³, median PM₁₀=64.9 μg m⁻³). PM_2.5 concentrations determined by the gravimetric method were in general higher (median in winter: 36.7 μg m⁻³, median in summer: 20.2 μg m⁻³) but correlated strongly with the LAS-measured results. In explorative analysis, we identified a significant increase of LAS-measured PM_2.5 by 1.7 μg m⁻³ per increase in humidity by 10%, by 0.5 μg m⁻³ per increase in CO₂ indoor concentration by 100 ppm, and a decrease by 2.8 μg m⁻³ in 5–7th grade classes and by 7.3 μg m⁻³ in class 8–11 compared to 1–4th class. During the winter period, the associations were stronger regarding class level, reverse regarding humidity (a decrease by 6.4 μg m⁻³ per increase in 10% humidity) and absent regarding CO₂ indoor concentration. The median PNC measured in 36 classrooms ranged between 2622 and 12,145 particles cm⁻³ (median: 5660 particles cm⁻³).The results clearly show that exposure to particulate matter in school is high. The increased PM concentrations in winter and their correlation with high CO₂ concentrations indicate that inadequate ventilation plays a major role in the establishment of poor indoor air quality. Additionally, the increased PM concentration in low level classes and in rooms with high number of pupils suggest that the physical activity of pupils, which is assumed to be more pronounced in younger children, contributes to a constant process of resuspension of sedimented particles. Further investigations are necessary to increase knowledge on predictors of PM concentration, to assess the toxic potential of indoor particles and to develop and test strategies how to ensure improved indoor air quality in schools.     

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in indoor and outdoor air

The past 50 years have seen rapid development of new building materials, furnishings, and consumer products and a corresponding explosion in new chemicals in the built environment. While exposure levels are largely undocumented, they are likely to have increased as a wider variety of chemicals came into use, people began spending more time indoors, and air exchange rates decreased to improve energy efficiency. As a result of weak regulatory requirements for chemical safety testing, only limited toxicity data are available for these chemicals. Over the past 15 years, some chemical classes commonly used in building materials, furnishings, and consumer products have been shown to be endocrine disrupting chemicals – that is they interfere with the action of endogenous hormones. These include PCBs, used in electrical equipment, caulking, paints and surface coatings; chlorinated and brominated flame retardants, used in electronics, furniture, and textiles; pesticides, used to control insects, weeds, and other pests in agriculture, lawn maintenance, and the built environment; phthalates, used in vinyl, plastics, fragrances, and other products; alkylphenols, used in detergents, pesticide formulations, and polystyrene plastics; and parabens, used to preserve products like lotions and sunscreens. This paper summarizes reported indoor and outdoor air concentrations, chemical use and sources, and toxicity data for each of these chemical classes. While industrial and transportation-related pollutants have been shown to migrate indoors from outdoor sources, it is expected that indoor sources predominate for these consumer product chemicals; and some studies have identified indoor sources as the predominant factor influencing outdoor ambient air concentrations in densely populated areas. Mechanisms of action, adverse effects, and dose–response relationships for many of these chemicals are poorly understood and no systematic screening of common chemicals for endocrine disrupting effects is currently underway, so questions remain as to the health impacts of these exposures.     

Modeling relationships between indoor and outdoor air quality

Information about the ratio between indoor and outdoor concentrations (IO ratios) of air pollutants is a crucial component in human exposure assessment. The present study examines the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations as influenced by the combined effect of time patterns in outdoor concentrations, ventilation rate, and indoor emissions. Two different mathematical approaches are used to evaluate IO ratios. The first approach involves a dynamic mass balance model that calculates distributions of transient IO ratios. The second approach assumes a linear relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations. We use ozone and benzene as examples in various modeling exercises. The modeled IO ratio distributions are compared with the results obtained from linear fits through plots of indoor versus outdoor concentrations.     

An evaluation of indoor and outdoor biological particulate matter

The incidences of allergies, allergic diseases and asthma are increasing world wide. Global climate change is likely to impact plants and animals, as well as microorganisms. The World Health Organization, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cite increased allergic reactions due to climate change as a growing concern. Monitoring of indoor and ambient particulate matter (PM) and the characterization of the content for biological aerosol concentrations has not been extensively performed. Samples from urban and rural North Carolina (NC), and Denver (CO), were collected and analyzed as the goal of this research. A study of PM₁₀ (<10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) and PM_2.5 (<2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) fractions of ambient bioaerosols was undertaken for a six month period to evaluate the potential for long-term concentrations. These airborne bioaerosols can induce irritational, allergic, infectious, and chemical responses in exposed individuals. Three separate sites were monitored, samples were collected and analyzed for mass and biological content (endotoxins, (1,3)-β-d-glucan and protein). Concentrations of these bioaerosols were reported as a function of PM size fraction, mass and volume of air sampled. The results indicated that higher concentrations of biologicals were present in PM₁₀ than were present in PM_2.5, except when near-roadway conditions existed. This study provides the characterization of ambient bioaerosol concentrations in a variety of areas and conditions.     

人体室内外PM_(2.5)吸入暴露研究

介绍了室内外空气颗粒物吸入暴露的评价方法,选择PM2.5作为检测评价的对象,初步评价了上海市某区不同年龄段人员的PM2.5暴露水平。结果表明:(1)成人和老人的全年日平均PM2.5吸入暴露量均较高,并且成人的全年日平均PM2.5吸入暴露量变化曲线和儿童相似。(2)老人室内PM2.5吸入暴露量要明显高于室外,其主要原因是老人在室内时间较长。儿童和成人的室外PM2.5吸入暴露量高于室内。(3)不同人员的年平均PM2.5吸入暴露量的排序为成人老人儿童,其年平均PM2.5吸入暴露量分别为1.141、1.046、0.935mg。     

Determination of the levels of aromatic amines in indoor and outdoor air in Italy

We studied the concentration of 10 primary aromatic amines (AA), which are classified as suspected carcinogens, in indoor and outdoor air in Italy. The measured AA included: aniline, o-toluidine, m-toluidine, p-toluidine, 2,3-dimethylaniline, 2,4-dimethylaniline, 2,5-dimethylaniline, 2,6-dimethylaniline, 2-naphtylamine and 4-aminobiphenyl. In the indoor environment (homes, offices and public buildings) the level of contamination (expressed as sum of 9 AA, excluding aniline) varied from 3 ng/m3 (hospital ward) to 207 ng/m3 (discotheque). In most indoor environments with no contamination from cigarette smoke the AA levels were below 20 ng/m3, whereas in the presence of smokers higher values were observed. Aniline levels were more erratic (varying from 53 ng/m3 (office of non-smokers) to 1929 ng/m3 (discotheque) and were not related to cigarette smoke. The concentration range of AA (excluding aniline) in the outside air varied from 3 ng/m3 (Siena) to 104 ng/m3 (Brindisi); aniline concentration was extremely variable. Most samples of outdoor air had AA levels lower than 40 ng/m3. In conclusion, AA are widespread air contaminants and attain a high concentration in heavily contaminated indoor environments, due to smoking and poor ventilation. AA occasionally attain a high level in outdoor air as well. Therefore, a strategy of reduction of the exposure to AA should consider the abatement of multiple sources of contamination.     

Comparative study on indoor air quality in Japan and China: Characteristics of residential indoor and outdoor VOCs

We conducted a comparative study on the indoor air quality for Japan and China to investigate aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor microenvironments (living room, bedroom, and kitchen) and outdoors in summer and winter during 2006–2007. Samples were taken from Shizuoka in Japan and Hangzhou in China, which are urban cities with similar latitudes. Throughout the samplings, the indoor and outdoor concentrations of many of the targeted VOCs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and trimethylbenzenes) in China were significantly higher than those in Japan. The indoor concentrations of VOCs in Japan were somewhat consistent with those outdoors, whereas those in China tended to be higher than those outdoors. Here, we investigated the differences in VOC concentrations between Japan and China. Compositional analysis of indoor and outdoor VOCs showed bilateral differences; the contribution of benzene in China was remarkably higher than that in Japan. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) for benzene were observed among the concentrations in indoor microenvironments and between the outdoors and living rooms or kitchens in Japan. In China, however, significant correlations were observed only between living rooms and bedrooms. These findings suggest differences in strengths of indoor VOC emissions between Japan and China. The source characterizations were also investigated using principal component analysis/absolute principal component scores. It was found that outdoor sources including vehicle emission and industrial sources, and human activity could be significant sources of indoor VOC pollution in Japan and China respectively. In addition, the lifetime cancer risks estimated from unit risks and geometric mean indoor concentrations of carcinogenic VOCs were 2.3 × 10^?5 in Japan and 21 × 10^?5 in China, indicating that the exposure risks in China were approximately 10 times higher than those in Japan.     

Comparison of indoor and outdoor concentrations of CO at a public school. Evaluation of an indoor air quality model

A field study was carried out to investigate the internal and external carbon monoxide (CO) concentration levels of a public school building in Athens, Greece. Simultaneous measurements of indoor and outdoor CO concentrations were conducted using a non-dispersive infrared analyzer. Measurements of mean hourly CO concentrations inside and outside the sampling room were conducted on a 24-h basis for 13 consecutive days during May and June 1999 and for 14 consecutive days during December 1999. The aim of the study was to investigate the attenuation pattern of external pollution levels within the building. The diurnal concentration variations reported for different days during the week show that indoor CO concentrations are in general lower than the respective outdoor levels, and that the morning peaks of indoor concentrations show a delay of 1 h or less compared to the morning peaks of outdoor concentrations. The measured indoor to outdoor concentration ratios show a seasonal variation. An indoor air quality model for the prediction of indoor concentration levels developed by Hayes (J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 39 (11) (1989) 1453; J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc. 41 (2) (1991) 161) is coded as a computer program and evaluated using the experimental data. The model results are in good agreement with the indoor concentration measurements, although in some cases the model cannot respond adequately to sharp outdoor concentration changes. The ratio between measured and predicted daily maximum indoor concentration ranges between 0.88 and 1.23. The regression curve between predicted by the model and measured hourly indoor concentrations, for a continuous period of 96 h, has a slope of 0.64 and a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.69.     

Relationships between indoor and outdoor air pollution by carcinogenic PAHs and PCBs

PAHs and PCBs were collected simultaneously indoors and outdoors at eight non-smoking homes located in four buildings in high-traffic areas of Rome. The purpose was to evaluate the relevance of indoor air in contributing to the overall exposure of the urban population. The vertical distribution was also investigated by collecting outdoor samples at both road and roof level, and indoor samples in both a high and a low floor flat of each building. At one coal-heated building, samples were collected during both the heating and the non-heating season. No evident PAH source was present indoors. Indoor and outdoor daily concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) ranged, respectively, 0.1–4.6 ng m⁻³ and 0.7–2.3 ng m⁻³. With the heating on, indoor PAH concentrations equalled or exceeded those outdoors, with BaP indoor/outdoor ratios up to 4; during the warm season, ratios decreased to 0.2–0.6. Indoor PAHs at the low floors exceeded the high-floor ones when the heating was off (vehicle exhausts being the dominant source), while being equal or lower with the heating on; the vertical gradient of indoor PAHs between different floors was within a factor of 2. Outdoor PAHs at roof level were 20–70% of those at road level, which in turn exceeded those at the medium-traffic station up to a factor of 4. The outdoor concentrations of Σ6 indicator PCBs ranged 0.1–1.6 ng m⁻³. Indoor PCB concentrations exceeded those outdoors by an approximate factor of 2–50. No vertical gradient was observed. The results indicated that indoor air may contribute to the overall exposure to PAHs and PCBs more than the urban air. They were also consistent with recent findings suggesting that indoor air can be a relevant source of PCBs for outdoor air.     

室内空气中颗粒物污染特征研究

为获得室内空气颗粒物污染特征,2009年8月18～24日在某单位工作及生活区选取4个室内点和1个室外点进行颗粒物采样和成分分析.结果表明,室内粗颗粒(PM10)符合<室内空气质量标准>(GB/T 18883-2002),而细粒子(PM2.5)的浓度水平较高,表明室内PM2.5的污染较重;室内与室外PM2.5比值显示,P...     

Particulate matter air pollution and respiratory impact on humans and animals

Air pollution is now fully acknowledged to be a public health problem and a social issue. Particulate matter (PM) concentration has been linked with several clinical manifestations of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases and is associated with morbidity and mortality induced by respiratory diseases both in human and animals. Current research on airborne particle-induced health effects investigates the critical characteristics of particulate matter that determine their biological effects. Scientific evidence assessed that the size of the airborne particles and their surface area determine the potential to elicit inflammatory injury, oxidative damage, and other biological effects. Thus, the present review paper aims to summarize the current evidences and findings on the effect of air pollution on lung function in both humans and animals.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in indoor and outdoor air in Turkey: Estimations of sources and exposure

The aim of the current study was to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in eight indoor (In both kitchen and living room) air sampling locations using a passive sampling method for collection. Passive outdoor air samples were also collected from 3 of the same sampling locations as the indoor air sampling sites. Sampling was conducted in three seasons. The summer season, when windows are generally open, was between 18th July and 01st September, 2014; the autumn and winter seasons, when windows are mostly closed, was between 18^th October and 01^st December, 2014, and 01^st December, 2014, and 18^th January, 2015, respectively.

Average PAH concentrations in summer were 22 ± 21 ng/m³ and 17 ± 12 ng/m³ in the living room and kitchen, respectively, whereas living room and kitchen average PAH concentrations were 23 ± 16 ng/m³ and 20 ± 9 ng/m³, respectively, in autumn and 23 ± 13 ng/m³ and 23 ± 24 ng/m³, respectively, in winter. Outdoor air PAH concentrations in summer, autumn and winter were 7 ± 0.4 ng/m³, 22 ± 13 ng/m³ and 209 ± 33 ng/m³, respectively. An increase in outdoor PAH concentrations was measured in winter compared to the concentrations in summer and autumn, which paralleled the lower outdoor air temperature. However, PAH concentrations in the indoor environment vary according to the household characteristics and personal habits.     

Exposure assessment of air pollutants: a review on spatial heterogeneity and indoor/outdoor/personal exposure to suspended particulate matter,nitrogen dioxide and ozone

This review describes databases of small-scale spatial variations and indoor, outdoor and personal measurements of air pollutants with the main focus on suspended particulate matter, and to a lesser extent, nitrogen dioxide and photochemical pollutants. The basic definitions and concepts of an exposure measurement are introduced as well as some study design considerations and implications of imprecise exposure measurements. Suspended particulate matter is complex with respect to particle size distributions, the chemical composition and its sources. With respect to small-scale spatial variations in urban areas, largest variations occur in the ultrafine (<0.1 μm) and the coarse mode (PM_10–2.5, resuspended dust). Secondary aerosols which contribute to the accumulation mode (0.1–2 μm) show quite homogenous spatial distribution. In general, small-scale spatial variations of PM_2.5 were described to be smaller than the spatial variations of PM₁₀. Recent studies in outdoor air show that ultrafine particle number counts have large spatial variations and that they are not well correlated to mass data. Sources of indoor particles are from outdoors and some specific indoor sources such as smoking and cooking for fine particles or moving of people (resuspension of dust) for coarse particles. The relationships between indoor, outdoor and personal levels are complex. The finer the particle size, the better becomes the correlation between indoor, outdoor and personal levels. Furthermore, correlations between these parameters are better in longitudinal analyses than in cross-sectional analyses. For NO₂ and O₃, the air chemistry is important. Both have considerable small-scale spatial variations within urban areas. In the absence of indoor sources such as gas appliances, NO₂ indoor/outdoor relationships are strong. For ozone, indoor levels are quite small. The study hypothesis largely determines the choice of a specific concept in exposure assessment, i.e. whether personal sampling is needed or if ambient monitoring is sufficient. Careful evaluation of the validity and improvements in precision of an exposure measure reduce error in the measurements and bias in the exposure–effect relationship.     

Individual particle analysis of indoor,outdoor, and community samples from the 1998 Baltimore particulate matter study

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) recently conducted the 1998 Baltimore Particulate Matter (PM) Epidemiology-Exposure Study of the Elderly. The primary goal of that study was to establish the relationship between outdoor PM concentrations and actual human PM exposures within a susceptible (elderly) sub-population. Personal, indoor, and outdoor sampling of particulate matter was conducted at a retirement center in the Towson area of northern Baltimore County. Concurrent sampling was conducted at a central community site. The main objective of this work was to use computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM) with individual-particle X-ray analysis to measure the chemical and physical characteristics of geological and trace element particles collected at the various sampling locations in and around the retirement facility.The CCSEM results show that the relative abundances of some geological and trace element particle classes identified at the outdoor and community locations differ from each other and from the indoor location. Particle images acquired during the computer-controlled analyses played a key role in the identification of certain particle types. Review of these images was particularly useful in distinguishing spherical particles (usually indicative of combustion) from non-spherical particles of similar chemical composition. Pollens and spores were also identified through a manual review of the particle images.     

DEARS particulate matter relationships for personal,indoor, outdoor,and central site settings for a general population

This analysis provides the initial summary of PM_2.5 mass concentrations relationships for all seasons and participants for a general population in the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). The summary presented highlights the utility of the new methodologies applied, in addition to summarizing the particulate matter (PM) data.Results include the requirement to adjust the exposure data for monitor wearing compliance and measured environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) levels, even though the study design specified a non-smoking household. A 40% wearing compliance acceptance level was suggested as necessary to balance minimizing exposure misclassification (from poor compliance) and having sufficient data to conduct robust statistical analyses. An ETS threshold level equivalent to adding more than 1.5 μg m^?3 to the collected sample was found to be necessary to detect changes in the personal exposure factor (F_pex). It is not completely clear why such a large threshold level was necessary.Statistically significant spatial PM_2.5 gradients were identified in three of the six DEARS neighborhoods in Wayne County. These were expected, given the number of strong, localized PM sources in the Detroit (Michigan) metro area. Some residential outdoor bias levels compared with the central site at Allen Park exceeded 15%. After adjusting for ETS biases, the outdoor contributions to the personal exposure were typically larger by factors from 1.75 to 2.2 compared with those of the non-outdoor sources. The outdoor contribution was larger in the summer than in the winter, which is consistent with the fractions of time spent outdoors in the summer vs. the winter (6.7% vs. 1.1% of the time).Mean personal PM_2.5 cloud levels for the general population DEARS cohort ranged from 1.5 to 3.8 (after ETS adjustment) and were comparable to those reported previously. The personal exposure collections indoors were typically at least 13 times greater than those contributed outdoors.     

Inorganic and carbonaceous components in indoor/outdoor particulate matter in two residential houses in Oslo, Norway

A detailed analysis of indoor/outdoor physicochemical aerosol properties has been performed. Aerosol measurements were taken at two dwellings, one in the city center and the other in the suburbs of the Oslo metropolitan area, during summer/fall and winter/spring periods of 2002-2003. In this paper, emphasis is placed on the chemical characteristics (water-soluble ions and carbonaceous components) of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM2.5-10) particles and their indoor/outdoor relationship. Results demonstrate that the carbonaceous species were dominant in all fractions of the PM10 particles (cut off size: 0.09-11.31 microm) during all measurement periods, except winter 2003, when increased concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions were predominant because of sea salt transport. The concentration of organic carbon was higher in the fine and coarse PM10 fractions indoors, whereas elemental carbon was higher indoors only in the coarse fraction. In regards to the carbonaceous species, local traffic and secondary organic aerosol formation were, probably, the main sources outdoors, whereas indoors combustion activities such as preparation of food, burning of candles, and cigarette smoking were the main sources. In contrast, the concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions were higher outdoors than indoors. The variability of water-soluble inorganic ion concentrations outdoors was related to changes in emissions from local anthropogenic sources, long-range transport of particles, sea salt emissions, and resuspension of roadside and soil dusts. In the indoor environment the infiltration of the outdoor air indoors was the major source of inorganic ions.     

Determination of phthalates in particulate matter and gaseous phase emitted in indoor air of offices

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Phthalate esters (PAEs) are endocrine disrupters and can disrupt the functioning of different hormones, causing adverse effects on human health. Due...