
Daily personal exposure to black carbon in different microenvironments in Hanoi, Vietnam
Author(s) -
Tran Quang,
Nguyễn Thị Huệ,
Mac Van Dat,
Nguyễn Văn Duy
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
khoa học công nghệ xây dựng
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2734-9489
pISSN - 2615-9058
DOI - 10.31814/stce.huce(nuce)2022-16(1)-07
Subject(s) - apartment , doors , ventilation (architecture) , environmental science , toxicology , zoology , geography , meteorology , engineering , biology , civil engineering , structural engineering
Daily personal exposure to black carbon (BC) in different microenvironments in Hanoi, Vietnam was quantified for the first time. In this study, a portable instrument, microAethe® model AE51, was used to continuously measure BC concentrations in various microenvironments within buildings and transportation modes. Overall average daily personal exposure to BC from those microenvironments was 5.46 µg/h. The highest BC exposure was during commuting 13.48 µg/h and 5.74 µg/h for the motorcyclist and car driver, respectively. In building environments, the highest BC exposure was 3.98 µg/h in a coffee shop with smoking; the lowest BC exposure was 1.54 µg/h in a hospital department; while BC exposure in an office was 1.92 µg/h. The level of BC exposure in an apartment was strongly influenced by building ventilation modes. They were 3.58 µg/h and 2.15 µg/h with doors/windows open and closed, respectively. Our finding confirmed that commuting contributes disproportionately to the total BC exposure due to the high level of BC during traffic/travel. Building ventilation and air conditioning can significantly affect indoor BC levels and should be considered as a measure to reduce BC exposure within buildings in Hanoi.