Children's exposure and dose assessment to particulate matter in Lisbon

Faria, Tiago; Martins, Vânia; Correia, Carolina; Canha, Nuno; Diapouli, Evangelia; Manousakas, M.; Eleftheriadis, K.; Almeida, Susana Marta

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106666

Cited by 57 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…Indoor particle exposure constitutes a significant percentage of overall exposure, as children spend the majority of the time indoors [3]. In our study, both fractions (PM2.5 and PM10) had higher concentrations in schools than in dwellings, which is related to children's activity during classes, resuspension of PM and inadequate ventilation [3]. Studies carried out in European cities showed similar concentrations in schools [46,47] and in dwellings [48][49][50].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…Children are more susceptible to air pollutants compared to adults since they breathe more air relative to their body weight, their immune system is still in development and they have a lower ability to deal with the toxicity due to their undeveloped airways [1,2]. Children spend more than 85% of their time in indoor environments, mainly at home and school [3] and therefore it is essential to assess the indoor air quality (IAQ) in these microenvironments to estimate their integrated exposure to air pollutants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Children’s Potential Exposure to Bioburden in Indoor Environments

et al. 2020

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The exposure to particles and bioaerosols has been associated with the increase in health effects in children. The objective of this study was to assess the indoor exposure to bioburden in the indoor microenvironments more frequented by children. Air particulate matter (PM) and settled dust were sampled in 33 dwellings and four schools with a medium volume sampler and with a passive method using electrostatic dust collectors (EDC), respectively. Settled dust collected by EDC was analyzed by culture-based methods (including azole resistance profile) and using qPCR. Results showed that the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in classrooms (31.15 μg/m3 and 57.83 μg/m3, respectively) were higher than in homes (15.26 μg/m3 and 18.95 μg/m3, respectively) and highly exceeded the limit values established by the Portuguese legislation for indoor air quality. The fungal species most commonly found in bedrooms was Penicillium sp. (91.79%), whereas, in living rooms, it was Rhizopus sp. (37.95%). Aspergillus sections with toxigenic potential were found in bedrooms and living rooms and were able to grow on VOR. Although not correlated with PM, EDC provided information regarding the bioburden. Future studies, applying EDC coupled with PM assessment, should be implemented to allow for a long-term integrated sample of organic dust.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Children’s Potential Exposure to Bioburden in Indoor Environments

et al. 2020

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“…Moreover, even if, according to the national legislation, the mean levels of PM can be considered relatively low, their impacts on occupants' personal exposure can be significant, given the time people spend in the bedroom (typically around 8 h). A study conducted in Lisbon (Portugal) to assess children's exposure to particulate matter found that, after the classroom (PM 2.5 e42.4%; PM 10 e 49.7%), bedrooms are the micro-environment that contribute most to exposure (PM 2.5 e26.7%; PM 10 e 21.5%) (Faria et al, 2020), despite being the one with the lowest concentrations (always below 20 mg m À3 ). The estimated exposure during the sleeping period in weekdays was 141 mg m À3 .h and 177 mg m À3 .h for PM 2.5 and PM 10 , respectively.…”

Section: Particulate Matter (Pm)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exposure (E) is defined by E ¼ C j .t j , where C j is the PM concentration measured in a specific micro-environment and t j is the time spent in it (Faria et al, 2020;Morawska et al, 2013). The potential inhaled dose (D) can be estimated by multiplying the exposure in a specific micro-environment by the inhalation rate (IR, m 3 .h À1 ) of the occupants during that period.…”

Section: Particulate Matter (Pm)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This awareness is the result of years of research efforts, especially over the last two decades, focused on exposure levels in different microenvironments and daily activity patterns. One of the main reasons for this shift in the exposure assessment studies, namely from outdoor to indoor environments, was the awareness that, in developed countries, people spend around 90% of their time indoors (Almeida-Silva et al, 2014;Faria et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Compliance of indoor air quality during sleep with legislation and guidelines – A case study of Lisbon dwellings

Canha

Alves

Marta

et al. 2020

Environmental Pollution

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This study aimed to provide a comprehensive characterisation of the indoor air quality during the sleeping period of 10 couples at Lisbon dwellings, using a multi-pollutant approach, and to understand how the compliance with legislation and guidelines was to assure a good indoor air quality. The assessment of indoor air quality was conducted in the cold season using real time monitors during the sleeping period for comfort parameters (temperature and relative humidity) and air pollutants (carbon dioxide e CO 2 , carbon monoxide e CO, formaldehyde e CH 2 O, total volatile organic compounds e VOCs, and particulate matter e PM 2.5 and PM 10), together with active sampling of bioaerosols (fungi and bacteria) before and after the sleeping period. Lower compliance (less than 50% of the cases) with the Portuguese legislation was found for temperature, CO 2 (3440 ± 1610 mg m À3), VOCs (1.79 ± 0.99 mg m À3) and both bioaerosol types. In 70% of the cases, PM 2.5 (15.3 ± 9.1 mg m À3) exceeded the WHO guideline of 10 mg m À3. All bedrooms presented air change rates above the recommended minimum value of 0.7 h À1 , highlighting that a good indoor air quality during sleep is not guaranteed.

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