Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/10216/103324
Author(s): | Klara Slezakova Cátia Teixeira Simone Morais Maria do Carmo Pereira |
Title: | Childrens indoor exposures to (Ultra) fine particles in an Urban Area: Comparison between school and home environments |
Issue Date: | 2015-01-01 |
Abstract: | Due to their detrimental effects on human health, scientific interest in ultrafine particles (UFP), has been increasing but available information is far from comprehensive. Children, who represent one of the most susceptible subpopulation, spend the majority of time in schools and homes. Thus, the aim of this study is to (1) assess indoor levels of particle number concentrations (PNC) in ultrafine and fine (20-1000 nm) range at school and home environments and (2) compare indoor respective dose rates for 3- to 5-yr-old children. Indoor particle number concentrations in range of 20-1000 nm were consecutively measured during 56 d at two preschools (S1 and S2) and three homes (H1-H3) situated in Porto, Portugal. At both preschools different indoor microenvironments, such as classrooms and canteens, were evaluated. The results showed that total mean indoor PNC as determined for all indoor microenvironments were significantly higher at S1 than S2. At homes, indoor levels of PNC with means ranging between 1.09 x 10(4) and 1.24 x 10(4) particles/cm(3) were 10-70% lower than total indoor means of preschools (1.32 x 10(4) to 1.84 x 10(4) particles/cm(3)). Nevertheless, estimated dose rates of particles were 1.3- to 2.1-fold higher at homes than preschools, mainly due to longer period of time spent at home. Daily activity patterns of 3- to 5-yr-old children significantly influenced overall dose rates of particles. Therefore, future studies focusing on health effects of airborne pollutants always need to account for children's exposures in different microenvironments such as homes, schools, and transportation modes in order to obtain an accurate representation of children overall exposure. |
Subject: | Ciências do ambiente, Ciências da saúde Environmental science, Health sciences |
Scientific areas: | Ciências médicas e da saúde::Ciências da saúde Medical and Health sciences::Health sciences |
URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/10216/103324 |
Related Information: | info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Projetos Estratégicos/UID/EQU/00511/2013 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006939/Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia/LEPABE |
Document Type: | Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional |
Rights: | restrictedAccess |
Appears in Collections: | FEUP - Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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144144.pdf Restricted Access | Artigo original publicado | 176.65 kB | Adobe PDF | Request a copy from the Author(s) |
144144.1.pdf | Post-Print version | 156.93 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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