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- Title
Indoor air quality at life and work environments in Rome, Italy.
- Authors
Romagnoli, P.; Balducci, C.; Perilli, M.; Vichi, F.; Imperiali, A.; Cecinato, A.
- Abstract
The air quality of three different microenvironments (school, dwelling, and coffee bar) located in the city of Rome, Italy, was assessed. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with PM particles were determined during an intensive 3-week sampling campaign conducted in March 2013. In interiors, total particulate PAHs ranged from 1.53 to 4.96 ng/m while outdoor air contained from 2.75 to 3.48 ng/m. In addition, gaseous toxicants, i.e., NO, NO, SO, O, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, and xylene isomers), were determined both in internal and external air. To solve the origin of indoor and outdoor PAHs, several source apportionment methods were applied. Multivariate analysis revealed that emissions from motor vehicles, biomass burning for heating purposes, and soil resuspension were the major sources of PAHs in the city. No linear correlation was established between indoor and outdoor values for PM and BTEX; the respective indoor/outdoor concentration ratios exceed unity except for PM in the no smoking home and benzene in all school floors. This suggests that important internal sources such as tobacco smoking, cleaning products, and resuspension dust contributed to indoor pollution. Using the monitoring stations of ARPA Lazio regional network as reference, the percentage within PAH group of benzo[a]pyrene, which is the WHO marker for the carcinogenic risk estimates, was ca. 50 % higher in all locations investigated.
- Subjects
INDOOR air quality; AIR quality research; INDOOR air pollution research; VOLATILE organic compounds; WORK environment research
- Publication
Environmental Science & Pollution Research, 2016, Vol 23, Issue 4, p3503
- ISSN
0944-1344
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11356-015-5558-4