Chemical Characterization of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter (PM2.5, PM10) in Doha, Qatar

Abstract

ABSTRACTΤhe extreme weather conditions in Middle East Area led to the construction of tightly sealed, air conditioned buildings, characterized by indoor air quality deterioration. This study presents the results of chemical characterization of outdoor and indoor PM 2.5 and PM 10 in Doha city, over a two-month period including normal days and dust events, aiming at identifying the factors affecting the indoor air of an office building. The WHO guideline values were exceeded in 100% of the outdoor measurements. 49% of the days of the sampling campaign were characterized as non-dusty (PM 10 < 200 µg m ). The contribution of both dust and anthropogenic emissions sources is depicted in particles' mass and chemical composition. The elevated -especially outdoor-levels of carbonate carbon indicate the presence of crustal matter originating from the surrounding crustal material. OC/EC values reveal possible combined contribution from secondary organic aerosol, trafficrelated sources and re-suspended dust. The influence of anthropogenic emissions is implied by the predominance of nitrate and sulfate ions, which constitute a substantial percentage of the particle mass. The crustal origin of particles is also depicted in metals. However, the higher enrichment factor values which may imply anthropogenic activities of both the outdoor and indoor environment were determined sequentially for Cd, Pb, As, Cu and Zn, suggesting the role of infiltration. Concluding, the indoor to outdoor relationship is significantly influenced by particles infiltration and penetration into the building mainly through the ventilation system and to a lesser extent, through windows or cracks in the building envelope. Although the low indoor to outdoor ratio underlies the predominance of outdoor levels compared to the indoor ones, there is positive correlation between indoor and outdoor PM, during the days that the building was open to the public and employees.

Investigations on Deposited Dust Fallout in Urban Doha: Characterization, Source Apportionment and Mitigation

“…with EF of 490 and 430 for both elements, respectively. On the other hand, the significant enrichment of Ca is in agreement with the domination of carbonate matter as reported earlier for studies in Qatar and other Arabian Peninsula countries[15][17][18][49].…”

Dust Events and Indoor Air Quality in Residential Homes in Kuwait

“…Previous indoor air quality studies in Kuwait have investigated school classrooms and homes [20][21][22][23][24]. Other studies in the region examined indoor and outdoor PM concentrations during dust storm events [25,26]. The harsh climate conditions in the Gulf led to the construction of tightly sealed, air-conditioned buildings [26].…”

“…Other studies in the region examined indoor and outdoor PM concentrations during dust storm events [25,26]. The harsh climate conditions in the Gulf led to the construction of tightly sealed, air-conditioned buildings [26]. However, very little is known about the impact of dust storms on indoor levels of fine (PM 2.5 ) and coarse particles (PM 2.5-10 ) in Kuwait.…”

Indoor air pollution and exposure assessment of the gulf cooperation council countries: A critical review

“…The most dominated elemental species were Zn, Ba, and Pb, including high levels of xylene and limonene (Eman et al, 2016). The presence of these elemental-PM based aerosols suggested infiltration and penetration of PMs via ventilation systems, windows, and building cracks, which were the main causes of indoor air pollution in the buildings in Doha (Saraga et al, 2017).…”

“…For all of these countries, most indoor air pollution studies have been focused on measuring the concentration levels and characterization of chemical species. Previous reviews have shown that particulate matters (PMs), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and heavy metals were the major indoor air pollutants in the GCC countries (Abdul-Wahab and Al-Rehaili, 1999;Al Mulla et al, 2015;Argyropoulos et al, 2016;Elsayed et al, 2016;Farahat, 2016;Omidvarborna et al, 2018;Saraga et al, 2017). Recent studies in KSA have identified Radon ( 222 Rn) gas as another indoor air pollutant (Abo-Elmagd et al, 2018;Alghamdi and Aleissa, 2014).…”