Exposure of Children to Ultrafine Particles in Primary Schools in Portugal

Rufo, João Cavaleiro; Madureira, Joana; Paciência, Inês; Slezáková, Klára; Pereira, Maria do Carmo; Pereira, Cristiana; Teixeira, João Paulo; Pinto, Madalena; Moreira, André; Fernandes, Eduardo de Oliveira

doi:10.1080/15287394.2015.1048866

Cited by 18 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Indoor concentrations of CO2 were inversely correlated to UFPs, which is in accordance with those obtained by Cavaleiro Rufo et al (2015) in a sample of 10 urban schools. Considering that CO2 is a recognized indirect marker of ventilation (ASHRAE 2004, Daisey et al 2003, Mahyuddin et al 2008, we may speculate that outdoor UFPs may penetrate to indoor environment when the windows are open (lower CO2 concentrations) and, after closing the windows (higher CO2 concentrations), the contribution of UFPs from outdoors to indoors decreases.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Thus, outdoor particle number concentrations may not adequately reflect indoor concentrations, particularly in winter, when the ventilation rates are diminished (Weichenthal et al 2007). Nevertheless, previous studies also showed that the majority of indoor UFPs are originated from indoor sources and that higher particle number concentrations may be associated with longer occupation times and, therefore, it is important to assess UFP number concentrations both from indoor and outdoor sources (Beko et al 2013, Cavaleiro Rufo et al 2015, Isaxon et al 2015, Vinzents et al 2005, Wallace & Howard-Reed 2002, Weichenthal et al 2007). Certain features that may influence outdoor UFP number concentrations such as the different characteristics of urbanization and traffic intensity, industrial activity and densely packed housing are characteristically present in urban environments and rarely seen in rural environments (Kumar et al 2010, Matson 2005, Yoon et al 2011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, children tend to be more susceptible to UFPs toxicity particularly due to their immature respiratory systems and reduced lung function (Schwartz 2004). Although there has been some concern regarding the topic, which may be epitomized by several published studies (Buonanno et al 2013a, Buonanno et al 2013b, Cavaleiro Rufo et al 2015, Diapouli et al 2008, Fromme et al 2007, Morawska et al 2009, there are no studies assessing children exposure to UFPs in urban and rural primary schools in Portugal. However, Fonseca et al (2014) recently published a study concerning pre-school children exposure to UFPs in two urban and one rural pre-schools, where it was not only shown that children in urban pre-schools are more exposed to UFP pollution than children in rural schools, but they are also four to six times more exposed than adults with similar daily schedules.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Children exposure to indoor ultrafine particles in urban and rural school environments

Rufo

Madureira

Paciência

et al. 2016

Environ Sci Pollut Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Extended exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs) may lead to consequences in children due to their increased susceptibility when compared to older individuals. Since children spend in average 8 h/day in primary schools, assessing the number concentrations of UFPs in these institutions is important in order to evaluate the health risk for children in primary schools caused by indoor air pollution. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess and determine the sources of indoor UFP number concentrations in urban and rural Portuguese primary schools. Indoor and outdoor ultrafine particle (UFP) number concentrations were measured in six urban schools (US) and two rural schools (RS) located in the north of Portugal, during the heating season. The mean number concentrations of indoor UFPs were significantly higher in urban schools than in rural ones (10.4 × 10 3 and 5.7 × 10 3 pt/cm 3 , respectively). Higher UFP levels were associated with higher squared meters per student, floor levels closer to the ground, chalk boards, furniture or floor covering materials made of wood and windows with double-glazing. Indoor number concentrations of ultrafine-particles were inversely correlated with indoor CO2 levels. In the present work, indoor and out-door concentrations of UFPs in public primary schools located in urban and rural areas were assessed, and the main sources were identified for each environment. The results not only showed that UFP pollution is present in augmented concentrations in US when compared to RS but also revealed some classroom/school characteristics that influence the concentrations of UFPs in primary schools.2

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Children exposure to indoor ultrafine particles in urban and rural school environments

Rufo

Madureira

Paciência

et al. 2016

Environ Sci Pollut Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Each indoor school environment has unique characteristics determined by the local outdoor air, specific building relatedcharacteristics, such as the condition, maintenance, and cleaning of the school building, and occupant behaviour [8,13]. The pollutants in the air within a classroom are predominantly the same of the outdoor air when the latter comes in though natural ventilation and infiltration.…”

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

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…Of the 32 articles that fulfilled our criteria, 22 quantified UFP levels in children's specific microenvironments (Table ; Figure and ), while the other 10 studies that were selected measured children's personal exposure to UFP by means of active samplers carried by children (Table ; Figure ). Among the studies regarding microenvironment exposures, 18 (82%) referred to UFP levels in schools or nurseries, 3 referred to transport (2 to schools and 1 to baby prams), 1 considered the UFP levels in heavily trafficked streets, and 2 measured levels in homes . Two of the studies assessed exposure in more than one microenvironment …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to ultrafine particles in children until 18 years of age: A systematic review

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Airborne ultrafine particles (UFP) have been related to adverse health effects, but exposure in vulnerable population groups such as children is still not well understood. We aim to review the scientific literature regarding personal exposure to UFP in different microenvironments in populations until 18 years of age. The bibliographical search was carried out in July 2019 using the online database PubMed and was completed with references in articles found in the search. We selected the studies that used continuous counters and measured UFP levels in both specific microenvironment (houses, schools, transport, etc) and personal exposure. Finally, 32 studies fulfilled the criteria: of these, 10 analyzed personal exposure and 22 examined UFP levels in the microenvironment (especially in schools or nurseries (18/22)) and five in various microenvironments (including dwellings and means of transport, where exposure levels were higher). The characteristics of the microenvironments with the greatest levels of UFP were being close to heavy traffic or near cooking and cleaning activities. This review revealed the wide differences in exposure assessment methodologies that could lead to a lack of uniform and comparable information about the real UFP exposure in children.

show abstract

Exposure of Children to Ultrafine Particles in Primary Schools in Portugal

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

Children exposure to indoor ultrafine particles in urban and rural school environments

Children exposure to indoor ultrafine particles in urban and rural school environments

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

Exposure to ultrafine particles in children until 18 years of age: A systematic review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About