An environmental scoping study in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas — III. Residential microenvironmental monitoring for air, house dust, and soil

Abstract

A principal aspect of the 1993 Lower Rio Grande Valley Environmental Scoping Study was the analysis and interpretation of residential air, household dust, and soil pollutant concentration data for exposure assessments. Measurements included respirable particulate matter (PM 2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor and outdoor air. Household dust, road dust, and yard soil were analyzed for elements, pesticides, and PAHs. Nine residences were monitored for three weeks in the spring of 1993. Additional monitoring was conducted at six of the nine residences for ten days the following summer. Generally good agreement was found between outdoor residential air and same-species measurements collected concurrently at a non-residential central site in Brownsville, TX (Ellenson et al. 1997) for fine particulate matter, elements, and VOCs indicating the dominance of regional influences. PM 2.5 mass and element concentrations in residential indoor and outdoor air were generally higher in the summer than in the spring. Indoor air concentrations of many species were higher than outdoor air concentrations and were attributed to household activities, ventilation of residences, and track-in of dislodged soils. Evidence of agricultural activities was noted in the occurrence of crop-related pesticides (e.g., malathion and chlorpyrifos) in indoor and outdoor air. Concentrations of common household pesticides (e.g., chlordane, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, heptachlor, and propoxur) were generally higher indoors than outdoors and were also present in house dust. Seasonal comparisons of pesticides and PAHs were also presented using matched residences in spring and summer; VOCs also may have indicated seasonal effects. VOCs (notably propane and butane isomers) and PAHs were higher indoors, presumably due to cooking-related activities.