Premium
Indoor Exposures To Acidic Aerosols At Child And Elderly Care Facilities
Author(s) -
Liang Chris S.K.,
Waldman Jed M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0668.1992.00002.x
Subject(s) - aerosol , environmental science , environmental health , indoor air quality , population , indoor air , pollutant , medicine , toxicology , environmental chemistry , meteorology , environmental engineering , chemistry , geography , organic chemistry , biology
A six‐week study of indoor and outdoor air pollutants was conducted in central New Jersey during the summer months of 1989. Three institutional settings for elderly and child care were investigated for the potential of acidic aerosol exposures. The indoor penetration by fine aerosols was < 70% at all three institutions. For locations with closed ventilation, it was 15‐25% lower than for the open‐window setting. Relative to outdoor levels, indoor acidic sulfate aerosols were 30‐57% neutralized. Indoor levels of ammonia were = 10 × higher than corresponding outdoor values, which were consistent with calculated emission rates from human occupants. From estimates of total daily exposure, 75% of the daily dose of aerosol acidity for the elderly was due to indoor exposures. Doses received by the elderly and children ranged from 290 to 1100 nmoles of acid (15 to 55 ug as H 2 SO 4 ) in a 24—h period with “worst‐case” dose received by children as high as 3400 nmoles of acid in the daytime. These doses were comparable to the levels observed in clinical and epdemiological studies where health effects result. The daily dose of acid delivered to children was calculated to be 2 to 4 × higher than the dose to the elderly population. The calculations for children indicate that more than 90% of their dose on a summer day may come from outdoor exposures. These data suggest that indoor settings are protective, but children may still be at risk from summertime acidic aerosol exposure, depending on their activities outdoors.