Abstract
In the VIEPI project (Integrated evaluation of the exposure to indoor particulate matter) framework, we carried out a 1-year study of the concentration and chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) in a 5 story building in the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). Each sampling had a duration of 1 month and was carried out indoors and outdoors in six classrooms. The chemical analyses were grouped to obtain information about the main PM sources. Micro-elements in their soluble and insoluble fractions were used to trace additional sources. Indoor PM composition was dominated by soil components and, to a lesser extent, by the organics, which substantially increased when people crowded the sites. The penetration of PM components was regulated by their chemical nature and by the dimensions of the particles in which they were contained. For the first time in crowded indoor environments, three different chemical assays aimed to determine PM redox properties complemented chemical composition measurements. These preliminary tests showed that substantially different redox properties characterised atmospheric particles in indoor and outdoor sites. The innovative characteristics of this study (time duration, number of considered environments) were essential to obtain relevant information about PM composition and sources in indoor academic environments and the occupants’ role.
Highlights
In the VIEPI project (Integrated evaluation of the exposure to indoor particulate matter) framework, we carried out a 1-year study of the concentration and chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) in a 5 story building in the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)
PM10 concentration during the twelve months of the study at the three outdoor sites located at a different height from the ground, and the two sites located on the terraces are reported in Figure 1 (1-month sampling time)
We show PM10 values obtained by averaging, for each month, the daily concentrations measured at the university campus, close to the building and at the site “Arenula”, belonging to the urban network of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of the
Summary
In the VIEPI project (Integrated evaluation of the exposure to indoor particulate matter) framework, we carried out a 1-year study of the concentration and chemical composition of particulate matter (PM) in a 5 story building in the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). For the first time in crowded indoor environments, three different chemical assays aimed to determine PM redox properties complemented chemical composition measurements These preliminary tests showed that substantially different redox properties characterised atmospheric particles in indoor and outdoor sites. Introduction with regard to jurisdictional claims in Atmospheric pollution in indoor environments poses a significant threat to human health because we spend much more time inside homes, schools, offices, and vehicles than in the open air [1,2] For this reason, the exposure, (i.e., the product of pollutant concentration and time over which a person is in contact with that pollutant) is much higher indoors than outdoors for most of the people, in urban areas. Most of the studies focused on particle number concentration [16,17,18], or mass concentration [19,20], or specific PM components [21,22,23]
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