Assessment of children exposure doses to ultrafine particles in primary schools

Abstract

Children attending primary schools may be largely exposed to the Ultrafine Particles (UFPs) present in the classrooms indoor air, which may lead to severe health consequences resultant from their increased susceptibility. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the UFP exposure dose rates in Portuguese children attending public primary schools. Ultrafine particles were sampled in 10 public primary schools located in Porto. Exposure dose rates were estimated for 488 children (aged 8 to 10 years) of the sampled schools. The estimated mean of exposure dose rates in children were 4.06 × 108 ± 0.11 × 108 part/kg.day. Specific indoor activities as well as outdoor environment conditions appeared to be associated with increased indoor UFP number concentrations and, consequently, with higher exposure doses in children attending those schools. Overall, children showed at least two times higher UFP exposure dose rates when compared to occupationally exposed adults (i.e. teachers and school staff). (c) 2015 Taylor & Francis Group, London.