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Leif Lönnblad

Professor

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Contribution of indoor-generated particles to residential exposure

Author

  • Christina Isaxon
  • Anders Gudmundsson
  • Erik Nordin
  • Leif Lönnblad
  • Andreas Dahl
  • Gunilla Wieslander
  • Mats Bohgard
  • Aneta Wierzbicka

Summary, in English

Abstract The majority of airborne particles in residences, when expressed as number concentrations, are generated by the residents themselves, through combustion/thermal related activities. These particles have a considerably smaller diameter than 2.5 μm and, due to the combination of their small size, chemical composition (e.g. soot) and intermittently very high concentrations, should be regarded as having potential to cause adverse health effects. In this study, time resolved airborne particle measurements were conducted for seven consecutive days in 22 randomly selected homes in the urban area of Lund in southern Sweden. The main purpose of the study was to analyze the influence of human activities on the concentration of particles in indoor air. Focus was on number concentrations of particles with diameters <300 nm generated by indoor activities, and how these contribute to the integrated daily residential exposure. Correlations between these particles and soot mass concentration in total dust were also investigated. It was found that candle burning and activities related to cooking (using a frying pan, oven, toaster, and their combinations) were the major particle sources. The frequency of occurrence of a given concentration indoors and outdoors was compared for ultrafine particles. Indoor data was sorted into non-occupancy and occupancy time, and the occupancy time was further divided into non-activity and activity influenced time. It was found that high levels (above 104 cmâ3) indoors mainly occur during active periods of occupancy, while the concentration during non-activity influenced time differs very little from non-occupancy time. Total integrated daily residential exposure of ultrafine particles was calculated for 22 homes, the contribution from known activities was 66%, from unknown activities 20%, and from background/non-activity 14%. The collected data also allowed for estimates of particle source strengths for specific activities, and for some activities it was possible to estimate correlations between the number concentration of ultrafine particles and the mass concentration of soot in total dust in 10 homes. Particle source strengths (for 7 specific activities) ranged from 1.6·1012 to 4.5·1012 minâ1. The correlation between ultrafine particles and mass concentration of soot in total dust varied between 0.37 and 0.85, with an average of 0.56 (Pearson correlation coefficient). This study clearly shows that due to the importance of indoor sources, residential exposure to ultrafine particles cannot be characterized by ambient measurements alone.

Department/s

  • Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology
  • Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics - Has been reorganised
  • Theoretical Particle Physics - Has been reorganised
  • EpiHealth: Epidemiology for Health

Publishing year

2015

Language

English

Pages

458-466

Publication/Series

Atmospheric Environment

Volume

106

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Keywords

  • Ultrafine particles
  • Indoor sources
  • Exposure
  • Indoor measurements
  • Soot
  • Source strength

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1352-2310