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Abstract:The goal of the study was to determine the concentrations of submicron particulate matter (PM 1 ) and of the mercury contained in it (Hg p ) in the air in two teaching rooms in two Polish cities, Gliwice and Warsaw. The levels of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) differ greatly between these two cities. The relations between the indoor (I) and outdoor (O) 24-h concentrations for each PM 1 and Hg p were determined and, based on the conclusions, an attempt was made to identify the main sources of the indoor Hg p in both cities. During the whole measuring period (April-June 2015), in both Warsaw and Gliwice, the 24-h outdoor PM 1 concentrations were slightly higher than the indoor ones (outdoor and indoor averages were equal to 19.3 µg m −3 and 14.5 µg·m −3 , respectively, in Gliwice and to 13.2 µg·m −3 and 9.5 µg·m −3 in Warsaw). In Gliwice, the indoor concentrations of Hg p (2.4 pg·m −3 to 27.7 pg·m −3 ) were much higher than the outdoor ones (1.1 pg·m −3 to 6.1 pg·m −3 ); in Warsaw the average concentrations of Hg p were equal to 1.4 pg m −3 indoors and outdoors. The 24-h concentrations of Hg p and the 24-h I/O ratios for Hg p varied more intensely in Gliwice than in Warsaw throughout the whole measuring period. In Warsaw, the teaching room Hg p came mainly from the infiltration of atmospheric (outdoor) Hg p . In Gliwice, a part of the indoor Hg p infiltrated into the teaching room with the outdoor PM 1 that most probably was then enriched with gaseous indoor Hg, what resulted in the relatively high indoor Hg p concentrations.

(1) Background: Since exposure to airborne bacteria and fungi may be especially hazardous in hospitals and outpatient clinics, it is essential to sterilize the air in such rooms. The purpose of this study was to estimate the decrease in the concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi in the selected hospital and clinic rooms due to the work of the electron wind generator (EWG). (2) Methods: EWG is an air movement and air purification device using a sophisticated combination of electrode topology and specially designed high-voltage power supply. (3) Results: The concentration of both bacteria and fungi in the small patient’s room dropped to approximately 25% of the initial (background) concentration. In the larger patient’s room, the concentration dropped to 50% and 80% of the background concentration for bacteria and fungi, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The obtained data show that the studied sterilization process can be described by the exponential function of time. Moreover, the application of an activated carbon filter into EWG significantly decreases the concentration of ozone in the sterilized room. Sterilization by EWG significantly changes the characteristic of species and genera of airborne bacteria and shifts the main peak of the size distribution of airborne bacteria into the coarser bio-particles.

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the role of internal sources of emissions on the concentrations of total suspended particulate matter (TSP) and its sub-fraction, so-called respirable PM (PM4; fraction of particles with particle size ≤ 4 µm) and to estimate to which extent those emissions participate in the formation of PM-bound elemental (EC) and organic (OC) carbon in two facilities -one beauty salon and one printing office located in Bytom (Upper Silesia, Poland). The average concentration of PM in the printing office and beauty salon during the 10-day measurement period was 10 and 4 (PM4) and 8 and 3 (TSP) times greater than the average concentration of PM fractions recorded in the same period in the atmospheric air; it was on average: 204 µg/m 3 (PM4) and 319 µg/m 3 (TSP) and 93 µg/m 3 (PM4) and 136 µg/m 3 (TSP), respectively. OC concentrations determined in the printing office were 38 µg/m 3 (PM4) and 56 µg/m 3 (TSP), and those referring to EC: 1.8 µg/m 3 (PM4) and 3.5 µg/m 3 (TSP). In the beauty salon the average concentration of OC for PM4 and TSP were 58 and 75 µg/m 3 , respectively and in case of EC -3.1 and 4.7 µg/m 3 , respectively. The concentrations of OC and EC within the those facilities were approximately 1.7 (TSP-bound EC, beauty salon) to 4.7 (TSP-bound OC, printing office) times higher than the average atmospheric concentrations of those compounds measured in both PM fractions at the same time. In both facilities the main source of TSP-and PM4-bound OC in the indoor air were the chemicals -solvents, varnishes, paints, etc.