Modeling, Measuring, and Characterizing Airborne Particles: Case Studies From Southwestern Luxembourg

Abstract

The World Health Organization and the European Union highlight human exposure to air pollution, especially particulate matter as a priority environmental problem. Nevertheless, there are several problems related to the modeling of particulate matter in space and time as well as the chemical characterization of the involved particles. Previously used models are not applicable in all situations or particulate matter concentrations are often not detailed enough in respect to time resolution. Usually applied chemical methods to describe particulate matter composition are destructive and no information on surface composition can be obtained. Therefore, the authors’ main objective was the assessment of indoor and outdoor particle concentrations in southwestern Luxembourg applying state-of-the-art modeling approaches and measuring actual particulate matter concentrations with a high temporal resolution under various exposure scenarios. The spatial distribution of PM10 was modeled. Additional indoor particle measurements were carried out in a passenger car compartment and in an office building. Furthermore, chemical properties, assessed with a secondary ion mass spectrometer, show a complex mixture of elements on the surface of selected particles with distinct hot spots of potentially dangerous heavy metals.