Assessment of indoor air exposure among newborns and their mothers: Levels and sources of PM10, PM2.5 and ultrafine particles at 65 home environments

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2020-09

Authors

Klára Slezáková (Author) FEUP; Joana Madureira (Author) Other; Carla Costa (Author) Other; Maria do Carmo Pereira (Author) FEUP; João Paulo Teixeira (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Environmental Pollution

Vol. 264

Pages: 1-11

ISSN: 0269-7491

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

Scopus

Scientific classification

CORDIS: Natural sciences > Environmental science ; Health sciences > Medical sciences

Associated Projects

LEPABE - Projeto Estratégico do LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

Other information

DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114746

Abstract (EN): Significant efforts have been directed towards addressing the adverse health effects of atmospheric particles, emphasizing the relevance of indoor exposure. Homes represent an indoor environment where human spend the majority of their time. Thus, the objective of this work was to concurrently assess different matrix of indoor particles considering both mass (PM10, PM2.5) and number (N20-1000) concentrations in indoor and outdoor air of homes (n = 65). Real-time measurements (PM10, PM2.5, UFP) were conducted simultaneously during 48 h in dwellings situated in Oporto, Portugal. In 75% of homes, indoor PM2.5 (mean = 53 μg m−3) exceeded limit of 25 μg m−3, for PM10 (mean = 57 μg m−3) 41% of homes demonstrated average levels higher than 50 μg m−3, thus indicating potential risks. Indoor PM10 was mostly (82–99%) composed of PM2.5, both PM were highly correlated (|rs|>0.9655), thus suggesting the similar origin. Indoor PM originated from infiltrations of outdoor emissions; ∼70% of homes exhibited indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratio < 1. On the contrary, UFP indoors (mean = 13.3 × 103 # cm−3) were higher than outdoors (mean = 10.0 × 103 # cm−3). Indoor UFP spatially varied as follows: kitchens > living rooms > bedrooms. UFP indoors were poorly correlated (|rs| = 0.456) with outdoor concentrations, I/O ratios showed that indoor UFP predominantly originated from indoor emission sources (combustions). Therefore, in order to reduce exposure to UFP and protect public health, the primary concerns should be focused on controlling emissions from indoor sources. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11