Abstract
The respirable particles in both outdoor and indoor air contain several different components that are considered to have adverse health effects; e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), various metals and microbial species. In this study, size segregated particle samples were collected for chemical, microbial and toxicological analyses from the indoor and outdoor air during each season of the year. The indoor sampling was carried out in a new, detached house with a novel sampling approach. The inorganic species accounted for 8–43% of the total respirable particles. The highest fine particle metal concentrations, both outdoors and indoors, were observed during summer, when the air quality was affected by wildfire smoke plumes, while in coarse particles the total metal concentrations were the highest during the spring, due to the high contribution from mineral dust. The PAH concentrations were 1.3 to 4.8 times higher in outdoor than in indoor air, and they were clearly the highest during winter, most probably due to residential heating, which is a major PAH source. PAHs with four rings had the largest contribution to the total PAHs. Microbial DNA was observed in all size classes, but the highest concentrations were measured in the coarse (PM2.5–10) fraction. The microbial concentrations were higher in the indoor air samples during winter, while in the outdoor ones during summer.
Highlights
It is well established that exposure to urban air particles is consistently associated with increased cardiorespiratory mortality and morbidity (WHO, 2003)
This paper describes the sampling campaigns and the results from chemical and microbial analyses, including a variety of metals, inorganic ions, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compounds as well as fungal and bacterial concentrations and flora
There were two intense smoke episodes (29.7.2010 and 8.8.2010) with PM10 concentrations 3–6 times higher than at normal conditions detected at all air quality measurement stations in Kuopio (Portin et al 2012)
Summary
It is well established that exposure to urban air particles is consistently associated with increased cardiorespiratory mortality and morbidity (WHO, 2003). The indoor exposure involves particles both of outdoor and indoor origin This view is supported by data showing that the Sippula et al, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 13: 1212–1230, 2013 than outdoor concentrations, in most cases the ambient aerosol has a considerable effect on the indoor air quality due to the extensive infiltration of outdoor pollutants (Komarnicki, 2005; Chen and Zhao, 2011). The infiltration rate of outdoor particles into the indoor air is particle size dependent and largely affected by the ventilation system and the ventilation conditions (Chen and Zhao, 2011). The ultrafine particles have low infiltration rates due to diffusion driven deposition during air intake (Chen and Zhao, 2011)
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