Interrelationship of Indoor Particulate Matter and Respiratory Dust Depositions of Women in the Residence of Dhanbad City, India.

Abstract

Women spend relatively more time in indoor environments in developing countries. Exposure to various indoor air pollutants leads them to higher health risks according to household air quality in which they reside. Particulate matter (PM) exposure with their exposure duration inside the household plays a significant role in women's respiratory problems. This studymeasured size-segregated particulate matter concentrations in 63 residences at different locations. Respiratory dust depositions (RDDs) for 118 women in their different respiratory regions like head airway (HD), tracheobronchial (TB), and alveolar (AL) regions for the three PM size fractions (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) were investigated. For different positions like light exercise and the sitting condition, RDDs values found for AL region were 0.091 μgmin-1 (SD: 0.067, 0.012-0.408) and 0.028 μgmin-1 (SD: 0.021, 0.003-0.126) for PM10, 0.325 μgmin-1 (SD: 0.254, 0.053-1.521) and 0.183 μgmin-1 (SD: 0.143, 0.031-0.857) for PM2.5, 0.257 μgmin-1 (SD: 0.197, 0.043-1.04) and 0.057 μgmin-1 (SD: 0.044, 0.009-0.233) respectively for PM1 to females. RDDs values in the AL region significantly increase as PM10 (11%), PM2.5 (68%), and PM1 (21%), confirming that for women, the AL region is the most prominent affected zone by fine particles (PM2.5).