Childrens indoor exposures to (Ultra) fine particles in an Urban Area: Comparison between school and home environments

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015-01-01

Authors

Klara Slezakova (Author) FEUP; Cátia Teixeira (Author) Other; Simone Morais (Author) Other; Maria do Carmo Pereira (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part A

Vol. 78 No. 13-14

Pages: 886-896

ISSN: 1528-7394

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Pubmed / Medline

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Health sciences

CORDIS: Natural sciences > Environmental science

Associated Projects

LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00G-DX7

DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2015.1051203

Abstract (EN): Due to their detrimental effects on human health, scientific interest in ultrafine particles (UFP), has been increasing but available information is far from comprehensive. Children, who represent one of the most susceptible subpopulation, spend the majority of time in schools and homes. Thus, the aim of this study is to (1) assess indoor levels of particle number concentrations (PNC) in ultrafine and fine (20-1000 nm) range at school and home environments and (2) compare indoor respective dose rates for 3- to 5-yr-old children. Indoor particle number concentrations in range of 20-1000 nm were consecutively measured during 56 d at two preschools (S1 and S2) and three homes (H1-H3) situated in Porto, Portugal. At both preschools different indoor microenvironments, such as classrooms and canteens, were evaluated. The results showed that total mean indoor PNC as determined for all indoor microenvironments were significantly higher at S1 than S2. At homes, indoor levels of PNC with means ranging between 1.09 x 10(4) and 1.24 x 10(4) particles/cm(3) were 10-70% lower than total indoor means of preschools (1.32 x 10(4) to 1.84 x 10(4) particles/cm(3)). Nevertheless, estimated dose rates of particles were 1.3- to 2.1-fold higher at homes than preschools, mainly due to longer period of time spent at home. Daily activity patterns of 3- to 5-yr-old children significantly influenced overall dose rates of particles. Therefore, future studies focusing on health effects of airborne pollutants always need to account for children's exposures in different microenvironments such as homes, schools, and transportation modes in order to obtain an accurate representation of children overall exposure.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11