Exposure to airborne particles is a risk factor of many short- and long-term health effects. Most epidemiological studies include estimates of exposure to ambient particles, however, people living in developed countries spend most of their time indoors. This work presents an analysis of a field campaign of simultaneous measurements of indoor-to-outdoor particle number concentrations (PNCs) in Israel. Fine and coarse PNCs were continuously measured using Dylos DC1700 devices from October 2016 to October 2017. The median outdoor PNC was always higher than the indoor PNC in all the five sampling locations. Outdoor fine PNCs peak during the night and experience a trough in the afternoon. The median of the fine indoor-to-outdoor PNC ratio (IOR) was 0.83, with an inter quartile range (IQR) of 0.59. The median of the coarse IOR was 0.70, with an IQR of 0.77. Lower IORs were experienced at night than during the day, with a daily peak (IOR > 1) around noon. Information about the IOR in different regions and seasons may help epidemiologists and policy makers understand the true health effects of particulate air pollution, and correct their exposure estimations such that they account for indoor exposure as well.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.