Indoor Particle Number Concentrations Research Articles

Dimensional and Chemical Characterization of Airborne Particles in Schools: Respiratory Effects in Children

This work reports the detailed characterization of child exposure to particles in three naturally-ventilated Italian schools. Two polluted urban schools and a rural one are considered in this study. Dimensional and chemical analyses of particles were performed by measuring particle number concentrations, particle size distributions, OC/BC concentrations and relative inorganic and organic fractions, both indoors and outdoors.Respiratory function, exhaled Nitric Oxide (eNO) and Prick Skin tests were also performed on 75 children attending the three schools in order to evaluate the effects of such exposure on the children’s respiratory systems. Exposure to particles at the urban schools was found higher than at the rural one, from both dimensional and chemical perspectives. Indoor particle number concentrations ranged from 1.95 × 104 to 3.49 × 104 part./cm3, whereas indoor black carbon concentrations varied between 1.9–13.9 μg/m3, with the lowest levels of both measured at the rural school.In contrast to the dimensional and chemical results, the respiratory function and eNO test results were statistically similar among children attending all the three schools: the lung function values were within 20% of the European Community for Steel and Coal predicted ones, with the eNO data for healthy children ranging from 10.1 to 11.5 ppm. Medical outcomes indicate that these levels of school exposure did not significantly affect the children’s respiratory outcomes.

Airborne particle concentrations at schools measured at different spatial scales

Potential adverse effects on children health may result from school exposure to airborne particles. To address this issue, measurements in terms of particle number concentration, particle size distribution and black carbon (BC) concentrations were performed in three school buildings in Cassino (Italy) and its suburbs, outside and inside of the classrooms during normal occupancy and use. Additional time resolved information was gathered on ventilation condition, classroom activity, and traffic count data around the schools were obtained using a video camera. Across the three investigated school buildings, the outdoor and indoor particle number concentration monitored down to 4 nm and up to 3 μm ranged from 2.8 × 104 part cm−3 to 4.7 × 104 part cm−3 and from 2.0 × 104 part cm−3 to 3.5 × 104 part cm−3, respectively. The total particle concentrations were usually higher outdoors than indoors, because no indoor sources were detected. I/O measured was less than 1 (varying in a relatively narrow range from 0.63 to 0.74), however one school exhibited indoor concentrations higher than outdoor during the morning rush hours. Particle size distribution at the outdoor site showed high particle concentrations in different size ranges, varying during the day; in relation to the starting and finishing of school time two modes were found. BC concentrations were 5 times higher at the urban school compared with the suburban and suburban-to-urban differences were larger than the relative differences of ultrafine particle concentrations.

Characterizing ultrafine particles and other air pollutants at five schools in South Texas

This study examined five schools with different ventilation systems in both urban and rural areas in South Texas. Total particle number concentration, ultrafine particle (UFP, diameter < 100 nm) size distribution, PM(2.5) , and CO(2) were measured simultaneously inside and outside of various school microenvironments. Human activities, ventilation settings, and occupancy were recorded. The study found a greater variation of indoor particle number concentration (0.6 × 10(3) -29.3 × 10(3) #/cm(3) ) than of outdoor (1.6 × 10(3) -16.0 × 10(3) #/cm(3) ). The most important factors affecting indoor UFP levels were related to various indoor sources. Gas fan heaters increased the indoor-to-outdoor ratio (I/O ratio) of total particle number concentrations to 30.0. Food-related activities, cleaning, and painting also contributed to the increased indoor particle number concentration with I/O ratios larger than 1.0. Without indoor sources, the I/O ratios for total particles varied from 0.12 to 0.66 for the five ventilation systems studied. The I/O ratio decreased when the outdoor total particle number concentration increased. Particles with diameters <60 nm were less likely to penetrate and stay airborne in indoor environments than larger particles and were measured with smaller I/O ratios. From an exposure assessment perspective, schools are important and little-studied microenvironments where students congregate and spend a large proportion of their active time. This study provides information for indoor and outdoor ultrafine particle concentrations at different types of school microenvironments. These data may allow future epidemiological studies to better estimate exposure and assess ultrafine particles health effects among students.

Indoor and Outdoor Particle Number and Mass Concentrations in Athens. Sources, Sinks and Variability of Aerosol Parameters

The scope of this work was to characterize PM mass and number concentration at typical residential microenvironments in the centre of Athens and to examine the relative contribution of the indoor and outdoor sources. Three residential flats located in densely populated residential areas were studied, during a warm and cold period of 2002. PM10, PM2 and black carbon (BC) mass concentrations, as well as ultrafine and accumulation mode particle number size distributions were recorded indoors and outdoors simultaneously. Outdoor concentrations of all size fractions were significant, and indicative of urban sites affected by heavy traffic. Indoor levels were generally lower than the corresponding outdoor ones. Nevertheless, elevated indoor concentrations were recorded, caused by increased ambient air penetration in the indoor microenvironments and/or indoor particle generation. The mean 24-hr indoor PM10 concentration at all residences was 35.0 ± 10.7 μg/m3 during the warm period and 31.8 ± 7.8 μg/m3 during the cold period. The corresponding PM2 concentration was 30.1 ± 11.1 μg/m3 and 27.2 ± 3.6 μg/m3 during warm and cold periods, respectively. Regression analysis of indoor and outdoor concentration data revealed that indoor BC may be considered mainly of outdoor origin. A large fraction of the outdoor-generated PM2 and ultrafine and accumulation mode particles also seems to penetrate indoors, causing elevated indoor levels. Regarding indoor particle generation, cooking was the strongest contributor in residential microenvironments.

Ultrafine particle concentrations and exposures in six elementary school classrooms in northern California

Potential health risks may result from environmental exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP), i.e., those smaller than 0.1 μm in diameter. One important exposure setting that has received relatively little attention is school classrooms. We made time-resolved, continuous measurements of particle number (PN) concentrations for 2-4 school days per site (18 days total) inside and outside of six classrooms in northern California during normal occupancy and use. Additional time-resolved information was gathered on ventilation conditions, occupancy, and classroom activity. Across the six classrooms, average indoor PN concentrations when students were present were 5200-16,500/cm(3) (overall average 10,800/cm(3)); corresponding outdoor concentrations were 9000-26,000/cm(3) (overall average 18,100/cm(3)). Average indoor levels were higher when classrooms were occupied than when they were unoccupied because of higher outdoor concentrations and higher ventilation rates during occupancy. In these classrooms, PN exposures appear to be primarily attributable to outdoor sources. Indoor emission sources (candle use, cooking on an electric griddle, use of a heater, use of terpene-containing cleaning products) were seen to affect indoor PN concentrations only in a few instances. The daily-integrated exposure of students in these six classrooms averaged 52,000/cm(3) h/day for the 18 days monitored. This study provides data and insight concerning the UFP exposure levels children may encounter within classrooms and the factors that most significantly affect these levels in an urban area in northern California. This information can serve as a basis to guide further study of children's UFP exposure and the potential associated health risks.

Ultrafine particle concentrations and exposures in four high-rise Beijing apartments

Abstract Ultrafine particle (UFP) exposures have the potential to elicit adverse health effects. People spend most of their time within their place of residence. Little information is available on UFP levels in homes in mainland China. To contribute new data to this important topic, we made time-series measurements of particle number (PN) concentrations and resident activities inside four apartments in high-rise buildings in Beijing during June to August 2009. Indoor PN concentrations at the four sites, averaged over the few-day duration of monitoring at each site, spanned an order of magnitude, from 2800 to 29,100 cm−3. This wide range resulted from differences among apartments in three main factors: (1) the frequency of indoor source events, including cooking activities and intrusion of cooking exhaust from neighboring apartments; (2) the extent of natural ventilation via open windows; and (3) the extent of active air filtration. Daily-integrated PN exposure of the thirteen residents, while in their apartments, ranged from 45,000 to 494,000 cm−3 h/d. For two sites at which outdoor PN concentrations were also measured, the percentage of daily-integrated residential exposure attributable to particles of outdoor origin was 58% for the residents of one site and 81% for residents of the other.

Long-Term Characterization of Indoor and Outdoor Ultrafine Particles at a Commercial Building

The particle number concentrations in the size range of 10-500 nm were measured inside and outside of a commercial building in Rochester, New York from 2005 to 2009. The indoor ventilation conditions were controlled by a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. The overall average indoor and outdoor particle number concentrations were 2166 cm(-3) and 5214 cm(-3), respectively. Comparison of the indoor and outdoor ultrafine particles (UFP) distributions revealed that indoor sources contributed to the indoor UFP concentrations. The indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio generally increased with particle size. The I/O ratios in the summer months were higher than those in the winter months. Indoor and outdoor correlations of particle concentrations were slightly weaker in warmer months. These results indicated that changes in the air exchange rates (AER) may have affected the correlation between indoor and outdoor UFP number concentrations. Moreover, indoor activities such as food preparation and cleaning may have contributed to the indoor UFP number concentrations.

Characterization of particle number concentrations and PM2.5 in a school: influence of outdoor air pollution on indoor air

The impact of air pollution on school children's health is currently one of the key foci of international and national agencies. Of particular concern are ultrafine particles which are emitted in large quantities, contain large concentrations of toxins and are deposited deeply in the respiratory tract. In this study, an intensive sampling campaign of indoor and outdoor airborne particulate matter was carried out in a primary school in February 2006 to investigate indoor and outdoor particle number (PN) and mass concentrations (PM(2.5)), and particle size distribution, and to evaluate the influence of outdoor air pollution on the indoor air. For outdoor PN and PM(2.5), early morning and late afternoon peaks were observed on weekdays, which are consistent with traffic rush hours, indicating the predominant effect of vehicular emissions. However, the temporal variations of outdoor PM(2.5) and PN concentrations occasionally showed extremely high peaks, mainly due to human activities such as cigarette smoking and the operation of mower near the sampling site. The indoor PM(2.5) level was mainly affected by the outdoor PM(2.5) (r = 0.68, p < 0.01), whereas the indoor PN concentration had some association with outdoor PN values (r = 0.66, p < 0.01) even though the indoor PN concentration was occasionally influenced by indoor sources, such as cooking, cleaning and floor polishing activities. Correlation analysis indicated that the outdoor PM(2.5) was inversely correlated with the indoor to outdoor PM(2.5) ratio (I/O ratio; r = -0.49, p < 0.01), while the indoor PN had a weak correlation with the I/O ratio for PN (r = 0.34, p < 0.01). The results showed that occupancy did not cause any major changes to the modal structure of particle number and size distribution, even though the I/O ratio was different for different size classes. The I/O curves had a maximum value for particles with diameters of 100-400 nm under both occupied and unoccupied scenarios, whereas no significant difference in I/O ratio for PM(2.5) was observed between occupied and unoccupied conditions. Inspection of the size-resolved I/O ratios in the preschool centre and the classroom suggested that the I/O ratio in the preschool centre was the highest for accumulation mode particles at 600 nm after school hours, whereas the average I/O ratios of both nucleation mode and accumulation mode particles in the classroom were much lower than those of Aitken mode particles. The findings obtained in this study are useful for epidemiological studies to estimate the total personal exposure of children, and to develop appropriate control strategies for minimising the adverse health effects on school children.

Indoor/outdoor relationships of size-resolved particle concentrations in naturally ventilated school environments

Assessment of indoor air quality in typical classrooms is vital to students’ health and their performance. The present study was designed to monitor indoor and outdoor size-resolved particle concentrations in a naturally ventilated classroom and investigate factors influencing their levels and relationships. The experiments were performed, at normal ventilation condition with doors and windows opened, on the top floor of a public school building near a busy commercial area of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The particle number concentrations were measured using an optical counter with four size intervals between 0.3 and 5.0 μm. The dataset was collected during weekdays and weekends with a 24 h sampling period over November and December 2005. It was observed that the median indoor particle number concentrations during daytime for 0.3–0.5, 0.5–1.0, 1.0–2.5, and 2.5–5.0 μm size intervals were about 1.6×10 8, 1.7×10 7, 1.2×10 6, and 4.1×10 5 particles/m 3, respectively. It was also found that concentrations at weekends were slightly higher those measured on weekdays, and at night, appeared to be higher than daytime. Indoor particles were observed to exhibit similar temporal variation pattern with outdoor particles. Results suggested that a significant contribution to indoor particles was from penetration of outdoor particles, whereas indoor sources generated from occupant activity did not show strong evidence. High outdoor particle loading and high air exchange rate were thought to be predominant causes. Ratios of indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) particle concentrations varied in a relatively narrow range from 0.69 to 0.88 with average values well below 1. The I/O ratios were in the range from 0.74 to 0.88 for submicrometer particles and from 0.69 to 0.80 for supermicrometer particles.

Variation in indoor particle number and PM 2.5 concentrations in a radio station surrounded by busy roads before and after an upgrade of the HVAC system

Indoor particle number and PM 2.5 concentrations were investigated in a radio station surrounded by busy roads. Two extensive field measurement campaigns were conducted to determine the critical parameters affecting indoor air quality. The results indicated that indoor particle number and PM 2.5 concentrations were governed by outdoor air, and were significantly affected by the location of air intake and design of HVAC system. Prior to the upgrade of the HVAC system and relocation of the air intake, the indoor median particle number concentration was 7.4×10 3 particles/cm 3 and the median PM 2.5 concentration was 7 μg/m 3. After the relocation of air intake and the redesign of the HVAC system, the indoor particle number concentration was between 2.3×10 3 and 3.4×10 3 particles/cm 3, with a median value of 2.7×10 3 particles/cm 3, and the indoor PM 2.5 concentration was in the range of 3–5 μg/m 3, with a median value of 4 μg/m 3. By relocating the air intake of the HVAC, the outdoor particle number and PM 2.5 concentrations near the air intake were reduced by 35% and 55%, respectively. In addition, with the relocation of air intake and the redesign of the HVAC system, the particle number penetration rate was reduced from 42% to 14%, and the overall filtration efficiency of the HVAC system (relocation of air intake, pre-filter, AHU and particle losses in the air duct) increased from 58% to 86%. For PM 2.5, the penetration rate after the upgrade was approximately 18% and the overall filtration efficiency was 82%. This study demonstrates that by using a comprehensive approach, including the assessment of outdoor conditions and characterisation of ventilation and filtration parameters, satisfactory indoor air quality can be achieved, even for those indoor environments facing challenging outdoor air conditions.

Dependence of Home Outdoor Particulate Mass and Number Concentrations on Residential and Traffic Features in Urban Areas

The associations between residential outdoor and ambient particle mass, fine particle absorbance, particle number (PN) concentrations, and residential and traffic determinants were investigated in four European urban areas (Helsinki, Athens, Amsterdam, and Birmingham). A total of 152 nonsmoking participants with respiratory diseases, not exposed to occupational pollution, were included in the study, which comprised a 7-day intensive exposure monitoring period of both indoor and home outdoor particle mass and number concentrations. The same pollutants were also continuously measured at ambient fixed sites centrally located to the studied areas (fixed ambient sites). Relationships between concentrations measured directly outside the homes (residential outdoor) and at the fixed ambient sites were pollutant-specific, with substantial variations among the urban areas. Differences were more pronounced for coarse particles due to resuspension of road dust and PN, which is strongly related to traffic emissions. Less significant outdoor-to-fixed variation for particle mass was observed for Amsterdam and Birmingham, predominantly due to regional secondary aerosol. On the contrary, a strong spatial variation was observed for Athens and to a lesser extent for Helsinki. This was attributed to the overwhelming and time-varied inputs from traffic and other local sources. The location of the residence and traffic volume and distance to street and traffic light were important determinants of residential outdoor particle concentrations. On average, particle mass levels in suburban areas were less than 30% of those measured for residences located in the city center. Residences located less than 10 m from a street experienced 133% higher PN concentrations than residences located further away. Overall, the findings of this multi-city study, indicated that (1) spatial variation was larger for PN than for fine particulate matter (PM) mass and varied between the cities, (2) vehicular emissions in the residential street and location in the center of the city were significant predictors of spatial variation, and (3) the impact of traffic and location in the city was much larger for PN than for fine particle mass.

Impact of ventilation scenario on air exchange rates and on indoor particle number concentrations in an air-conditioned classroom

A 2-week intensive measurement campaign of indoor and outdoor air pollution was carried out in September 2006, in a primary school to investigate indoor–outdoor correlations of particle number (PN) concentrations, and the impact of air exchange rate (ACH) on the indoor PN concentration. The ACHs in the classroom for different conditions associated with window opening and the operational status of air conditioners (A/C) and fans were tested. As expected, the lowest ACH (0.12 h −1) was found when the windows were closed and A/C and fans were off. In contrast, the highest ACH (7.92 h −1) was observed when the windows were opened and A/C and fans were all on. The analysis of the PN I/ O ratios at different ACHs in the absence of indoor sources indicates that the mean I/ O ratio was 0.621±0.007 (mean±95% confidence interval) when the windows were closed, and A/C and fans were off; 0.524±0.023 when windows were closed, fans were off and A/C was on; and 0.502±0.029 when windows were closed, A/C was off and fans were on. To further understand the relationship between indoor and outdoor PN concentrations, the impact of outdoor PN concentration on I/ O ratios at different ACHs was investigated. It was found that the relationship between outdoor PN concentration and the I/ O ratio at different ACHs followed a power trendline with an equation of I/ O ratio= A PN out −b ( A and b are coefficients, PN out is outdoor PN concentration), suggesting that the penetration efficiency decreased with increasing outdoor PN concentration. It is the first time we found that when the outdoor PN concentration increased there was an associated increase in the concentration of nano-particles, which have been demonstrated to have higher deposition rates and lower penetration efficiencies. Based on the above equation, the study also showed a significant effect of ACH on indoor PN concentrations under stable outdoor PN concentrations. In general, the higher the ACH was, the lower the indoor PN concentration was.

Relative levels of indoor and outdoor particle number concentrations in a residential building in Xi'an

The time series of indoor and outdoor particle number concentrations in a naturally ventilated residential building in Xi'an were tested simultaneously for 7 days in summer. The relationships between indoor and outdoor concentrations were examined and discussed, and linear regression analysis was employed to correlate the indoor and outdoor concentrations. The diurnal cycles of indoor and outdoor particle concentrations of different particle size ranges all showed positive correlations between indoor and outdoor number concentrations. The I/O ratios of number concentrations varied with the increase of particle size in the range of 0.89 (±0.19) to 0.99 (±0.15).

Indoor and outdoor submicrometer particles: Exposure and epidemiologic relevance (“the 3 indoor Ls”)

Airborne particles represent a very important pollutant with respect to healthy housing conditions. The snag is that in lack of indoor data epidemiological studies focusing on submicron and ultrafine (<100 nm in diameter) particles are usually forced to use outdoor particle concentrations only. On the other hand it is known that people spend most of their time indoors. The aim of this paper is therefore to give a short comprehensive overview of the indoor/outdoor problem with regard to submicron and ultrafine particles, investigating how indoor particle size distributions correlate with outdoor concentrations in the absence of significant indoor sources. In the absence of a major indoor source, total indoor particle number concentrations were always lower than outdoor concentrations. The highest ratios between indoor and outdoor concentrations tend to correlate with lower rather than higher total outdoor particle number concentrations. Concentration ratios depend on particle size. Time lags of the correlation coefficients between the concentrations of indoor and outdoor particles of different diameters have been determined to assess the time the particles need to enter the indoor site through closed modern-type windows. Typical lag times of 0.5-3 h between somewhat smaller indoor particles and somewhat larger outdoor particles have been observed. To assess the resulting particle burden for humans, a suitably weighted average emphasizing indoor aerosol particles must be used. To classify the health effects of particles of different diameters, different decreases of particle number concentrations depending on the particle sizes must be taken into account if indoor concentrations cannot be measured and outdoor concentrations are used in place of indoor measurements. In urban areas, ultrafine particles originate primarily from rapidly increasing traffic, which is the dominating source at many urban sites. The influence of traffic on outdoor and indoor concentrations is therefore of special interest.

Analysis of indoor particle size distributions in an occupied townhouse using positive matrix factorization

From late 1999 to early March 2000, measurements of particle number (particles 0.01-20 microm in aerodynamic diameter) concentrations were made inside of a townhouse occupied by two non-smoking adults and located in Reston, VA (approximately 25 miles northwest of Washington, DC). The particle size measurements were made using an SMPS and an APS as well as a Climet optical scattering instrument. In this study, positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used to study the indoor particle size distributions. The size distributions or profiles obtained were identified by relating the obtained source contributions to the source information provided by the occupants. Nine particle sources were identified, including two sources associated with gas burner use: boiling water and frying tortillas. Boiling water for tea or coffee was found to be associated only with the smallest particles, with a number mode close to the detection limit of the SMPS (i.e., 0.01 microm). Frying tortillas produced particles with a number mode at about 0.09 microm while broiling fish produced particles with a number mode at about 0.05 microm. A citronella candle was often burned during the study period, and this practice was found to produce a 0.2-microm modal number distribution. Other indoor particle sources identified included sweeping/vacuuming (volume mode at 2 microm); use of the electric toaster oven (number mode at 0.03 microm); and pouring of kitty litter (volume mode over 10 microm). Two outdoor sources were also resolved: traffic (number mode at about 0.15 microm) and wood smoke (major number mode at about 0.07 microm). The volume distributions showed presence of coarse particles in most of the resolved indoor sources probably caused by personal cloud emissions as the residents performed the various indoor activities. This study has shown that continuous measurements of indoor particle number and volume concentrations together with records of personal activities are useful for indoor source apportionment models. Each of the particle sources identified in this study produces distinct size distributions that may be useful in studying the mortality and morbidity effects of airborne particulate matter because they will have different penetrability and deposition patterns.

Indoor and outdoor particle size characterization at a family house in Espoo–Finland

Aerosol particle number size distributions (3–400 nm) were measured for three weeks both indoors and outdoors in a family house with natural ventilation in Espoo, Finland. We investigated the indoor-to-outdoor relationship of aerosol particles and analyzed the effects of indoor activities on the particle number size distributions. We also estimated the decay rate of indoor aerosol particle number concentrations. As expected, in the absence of indoor sources of aerosol particles the indoor particles originated from outdoors and the number concentrations followed similar patterns as those outdoors. The maximum penetration was found for particles between 100 and 400 nm in diameter. The mean value of the I/O values was 0.36 for ultrafine particles (UFP diameter <100 nm) and 0.60 for particles larger than 100 nm in diameter. Because of the penetration and deposition processes of aerosol particles, the modal structure of indoor particle number size distributions had larger geometric mean diameters and significantly lower number concentrations of UFP than those outdoors. The natural ventilation did not provide a stable and controlled indoor-to-outdoor relationship of aerosol particles and it caused variable I/O values and time-lags (10–45 min). In the presence of indoor activities, the indoor particle number concentrations cannot be directly estimated from the outdoor number concentrations only. The loss rate of UFP in the indoor air ranged from 1 h−1 for 10 nm particles to 0.1 h−1 for 100 nm particles in diameter. The quantitative and qualitative results presented in the current study are building and condition specific. However, the results provide a better understanding of the particle number size distribution characterizations indoors, especially during different indoor activities.

Indoor and outdoor concentrations of ultrafine particles in some Scandinavian rural and urban areas

The concentration of ultrafine particles (0.01 to greater than 1 μm) was measured in some rural and urban areas of Sweden and Denmark. The instruments used are handheld real-time condensation particle counters, models CPC 3007 and P-Trak™ 8525, both manufactured by TSI. Field measurements in Sweden were conducted in a few residential and office buildings, while in Denmark the measurement sites comprised two office buildings, one of them located in a rural area. The concentration of UFPs was measured simultaneously indoors and outdoors with condensation particle counters. The results revealed that the outdoor-generated particle levels were major contributors to the indoor particle number concentration in the studied buildings when no strong internal source was present. The results showed that in office buildings, the UFP concentrations indoors were typically lower and correlated fairly well to the number concentration outdoors. The determined indoor-outdoor ratios varied between 0.5 and 0.8. The indoor levels of UFPs in offices where smoking is allowed was sometimes recorded higher than outdoor levels, as in one of the Danish offices. In residential buildings, the indoor number concentration was strongly influenced by several indoor activities, e.g., cooking and candle burning. In the presence of significant indoor sources, the indoor/outdoor (IO) ratio exceeded unity. The magnitude of UFP concentrations was greater in the large city of Copenhagen compared to the medium-size city of Gothenburg and lowest at more rural sites.

Particle Concentrations and Sizes with Normal and High Efficiency Air Filtration in a Sealed Air-Conditioned Office Building

During parts of 7 consecutive weeks, indoor and outdoor particle number concentrations and particle sizes were measured versus time in a large sealed air-conditioned office building without tobacco smoking. Building ventilation rates were also measured. During some periods, the normal filters in the building's air handling systems were replaced with high efficiency filters. A mass balance model was used to help interpret the study data. For all particle sizes, indoor number concentrations varied considerably between weeks and within a single work day. Even with the normal air filters, which have a low efficiency for submicron-size particles, indoor number concentrations of submicron particles were a factor of 3-6 smaller than outdoor particle number concentrations. For the range of particle sizes measured (> 0.3 μm), the indoor particle mass concentration was considerably less than outdoor particle mass concentration. The high efficiency filters dramatically reduced the indoor-outdoor particle concentration ratio for submicron particles (i.e., the decrease was 70% to 95%, depending on particle size). For larger particles, the decreases in indoor concentrations were substantially smaller. Comparisons of model predictions with measured data provide evidence of a large rate of removal of submicron indoor particles by some process other than ventilation or air filtration and also provide evidence of significant indoor generation or resuspension of particles larger than 1 μm.