Characterization of traffic-related air pollutant metrics at four schools in El Paso, Texas, USA: Implications for exposure assessment and siting schools in urban areas

Raysoni, Amit U.; Stock, Thomas H.; Sarnat, Jeremy A.; Sosa, Teresa; Sarnat, Stefanie Ebelt; Holguín, Fernando; Greenwald, Roby; Johnson, Brent A.; Li, Wen Whai

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.07.056

Cited by 47 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…BTEX concentrations were higher indoors than outdoors (Figure ). Indoor concentrations of BTEX species were similar to levels found in other school studies (Godwin and Batterman, ; Raysoni et al., ). Tables with the descriptive statistics for the air pollutants of interest can be found in the supplemental material (Tables S2–S8).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Pollutant concentrations are presented in Figure (FPs, UFPs, and BC) and 2 (BTEX species—benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes). Overall, indoor and outdoor particulate air pollutant concentrations were lower than what has been reported elsewhere (Kim et al., ; McCarthy et al., ; Mullen et al., ; Raysoni et al., ; Reche et al., ; Rivas et al., ; Weichenthal et al., ). UFP concentrations were lower indoors compared to outdoor concentrations.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 54%

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Can changing the timing of outdoor air intake reduce indoor concentrations of traffic‐related pollutants in schools?

et al. 2015

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Traffic emissions have been associated with a wide range of adverse health effects. Many schools are situated close to major roads, and as children spend much of their day in school, methods to reduce traffic-related air pollutant concentrations in the school environment are warranted. One promising method to reduce pollutant concentrations in schools is to alter the timing of the ventilation so that high ventilation time periods do not correspond to rush hour traffic. Health Canada, in collaboration with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, tested the effect of this action by collecting traffic-related air pollution data from four schools in Ottawa, Canada, during October and November 2013. A baseline and intervention period was assessed in each school. There were statistically significant (P < 0.05) reductions in concentrations of most of the pollutants measured at the two late-start (9 AM start) schools, after adjusting for outdoor concentrations and the absolute indoor-outdoor temperature difference. The intervention at the early-start (8 AM start) schools did not have significant reductions in pollutant concentrations. Based on these findings, changing the timing of the ventilation may be a cost-effective mechanism of reducing traffic-related pollutants in late-start schools located near major roads. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Practical ImplicationsThis study found that adjusting the ventilation system to operate earlier in the morning, prior to high traffic commute periods, significantly reduced traffic-related air pollutants within late-start schools (9 AM) located near major roads. Given the ease of implementation and cost-effectiveness, this intervention may be a feasible approach for improving indoor air quality in schools and other public buildings with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 54%

Can changing the timing of outdoor air intake reduce indoor concentrations of traffic‐related pollutants in schools?

et al. 2015

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“…We were also interested in comparing our microenvironmental measurements at these sites with those at nearby central ambient monitoring (CAM) stations since CAM-derived exposure estimates may not accurately reflect the actual exposures of children (Raysoni, et al, 2011, 2013). Another aim of our study was to compare the gradient in pollutant concentrations in urban Quito neighborhoods with varying traffic densities.…”

Section: 0 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of indoor and outdoor PM species at schools and residences in a high-altitude Ecuadorian urban center

Raysoni

Armijos

Weigel

et al. 2016

Environmental Pollution

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An air monitoring campaign to assess children’s environmental exposures in schools and residences, both indoors and outdoors, was conducted in 2010 in three low-income neighborhoods in Z1(north), Z2(central), and Z3(southeast) zones of Quito, Ecuador - a major urban center of 2.2 million inhabitants situated 2850 meters above sea level in a narrow mountainous basin. Z1 zone, located in northern Quito, historically experienced emissions from quarries and moderate traffic. Z2 zone was influenced by heavy traffic in contrast to Z3 zone which experienced low traffic densities. Weekly averages of PM samples were collected at schools (one in each zone) and residences (Z1=47, Z2=45, and Z3=41) every month, over a twelve-month period at the three zones. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 10.6±4.9 μg/m3 (Z1 school) to 29.0±30.5 μg/m3 (Z1 residences) and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations varied from 10.9±3.2 μg/m3 (Z1 school) to 14.3±10.1 μg/m3 (Z2 residences), across the three zones. The lowest values for PM10–2.5 for indoor and outdoor microenvironments were recorded at Z2 school, 5.7±2.8 μg/m3 and 7.9±2.2 μg/m3, respectively. Outdoor school PM concentrations exhibited stronger associations with corresponding indoor values making them robust proxies for indoor exposures in naturally ventilated Quito public schools. Correlation analysis between the school and residential PM size fractions and the various pollutant and meteorological parameters from central ambient monitoring (CAM) sites suggested varying degrees of temporal relationship. Strong positive correlation was observed for outdoor PM2.5 at Z2 school and its corresponding CAM site (r=0.77) suggesting common traffic related emissions. Spatial heterogeneity in PM2.5 concentrations between CAM network and sampled sites was assessed using Coefficient of Divergence (COD) analysis. COD values were lower when CAM sites were paired with outdoor measurements (< 0.2) and higher when CAM and indoor values were compared (> 0.2), suggesting that CAM network in Quito may not represent actual indoor exposures.

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“…This represents an addition to the pollutants which originate from inside the classroom environment, such as those from furniture, paint, chalk, cleaning agents and re-suspension of soil dust [14,18,19]. Other factors, such as students' activities, level of occupancy, ventilation systems and temperature were also found to affect classroom's air quality [7,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As children spend most of their time in an indoor environment, it is clear why indoor air quality (IAQ) has been recognised as one of the key influences on their health. The classrooms are one of the main places where children spend their time when they are not at home [7,8]. Air quality inside classrooms has been associated to several diseases common in childhood, such as asthma, rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis [9e11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Source apportionment of CO2, PM10 and VOCs levels and health risk assessment in naturally ventilated primary schools in Porto, Portugal

Madureira

Paciência

Rufo

et al. 2016

Building and Environment

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a b s t r a c tChildren are by far more susceptible to the negative effects of air pollutants than adults. Building-level characteristics are structural factors largely beyond the control of those who live in them. Yet, there are gaps in understanding of the relationship of school building characteristics and/or occupant behaviour and indoor air parameters with implications for health and well-being.The aims of the study were to investigate the potential sources of CO 2 , PM 10 and volatile organic compound (VOCs) in naturally ventilated primary schools and to assess the potential health hazards of PM 10 on schoolchildren.CO 2 and PM 10 levels were determined in seventy three classrooms located in Porto city over a period of 8 h using low-drift NDIR sensors and light-scattering laser photometers, respectively. The VOCs samples were collected over 5-days in Tenax TA tubes and then analysed by gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry.Principal component analysis revealed the influence of activities or building features as major sources of indoor CO 2 , PM 10 and VOCs associated to the reduced airing of the classrooms which underlines the influence of indoor sources, occupant behaviour and maintenance/cleaning activities in schools and the high density of occupants.The hazard quotient calculated based on the formula suggested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency is higher than the acceptable level of 1; being for children almost twelve times higher than the safe level. This indicates that the inhalation exposure to PM 10 by children and adults occupying the school environment is not negligible.

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Characterization of traffic-related air pollutant metrics at four schools in El Paso, Texas, USA: Implications for exposure assessment and siting schools in urban areas

Cited by 47 publications

References 25 publications

Can changing the timing of outdoor air intake reduce indoor concentrations of traffic‐related pollutants in schools?

Can changing the timing of outdoor air intake reduce indoor concentrations of traffic‐related pollutants in schools?

Assessment of indoor and outdoor PM species at schools and residences in a high-altitude Ecuadorian urban center

Source apportionment of CO2, PM10 and VOCs levels and health risk assessment in naturally ventilated primary schools in Porto, Portugal

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