The personal, indoor and outdoor concentrations of PM-10 measured in an industrial community during the winter

Abstract

The concentrations of PM-10 were measured for 2 weeks in the winter of 1988 as part of the Total Human Environmental Exposure Study (THEES). Samples were taken simultaneously in a small city, Phillipsburg, NJ for outdoor and indoor microenvironments, and with personal monitors on non-smokers. There were four outdoor sites, eight indoor sites and fourteen individuals wearing personal monitors. The mean concentrations were 66, 48 and 42 μg m −3 for the personal, outdoor and indoor sites, respectively, with the personal samplers having 8.8% of the 24h averages above 150 μg m −3. The higher outdoor averages with respect to indoors were suspected to be related to more prevalent outdoor sources of coarse particles < 10 μm in diameter, and the lack of residential smokers to contribute to the indoor respirable subfraction. There was one day during the period when all the outdoor sites exceeded the 24 h PM-10 standard. Increased outdoor levels were also reflected in elevated indoor samples and the personal samples on that day. These would be a result of direct outdoor exposures and the penetration of outdoor PM-10 to the indoors.