| IJOMEH
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Current website - http://ijomeh.eu
Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ Health 2007;20(4):339-348 |
DOI 10.2478/v10001-007-0035-z |
WIESŁAW JĘDRYCHOWSKI, AGNIESZKA PAC, HYUNOK CHOI , RYSZARD JACEK, ELŻBIETA SOCHACKA-TATARA, THOMAS S. DUMYAHN, JOHN D. SPENGLER, DAVID CAMMAN, FREDERICA P. PERERA |
Abstract
Objectives: This study assessed personal exposure of pregnant women to fine particles (PM2.5) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and the relationship between pollutant concentrations in ambient and indoor air. Materials and Methods: In a group of 78 pregnant women, simultaneous 48 h measurements of personal, indoor, and outdoor exposure to PM2.5
and B[a]P were carried out in the second trimester of pregnancy. The
results show that participants were exposed to varying concentrations
of PM2.5 and B[a]P, with higher exposure in the winter season. Overall, the mean personal PM2.5 level was 30.4 μg/m3 and B[a]P 2.1 ng/m3. The winter/summer ratios for mean personal exposures were 1.4 (35.6 μg/m3 vs. 25.8 μg/m3) and 5.4 (4.9 ng/m3 vs. 0.9 ng/m3), respectively. As for indoor levels, the winter/summer ratios were 1.4 (33.2 μg/m3 vs. 24.4 μg/m3) for PM2.5 and 5.4 (4.3 ng/m3 vs. 0.8 ng/m3) for B[a]P, and for outdoor concentrations, the respective values were 1.5 (40.3 μg/m3 vs. 26.4 μg/m3), and 6.8 (6.1 ng/m3 vs. 0.9 ng/m3). A stronger correlation was found between personal PM2.5
exposure and the pollutant concentration indoors (r = 0.89; 95% CI:
0.83-0.93) than outdoors (r = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.64-0.83). The
correlations between personal B[a]P exposure and its indoor or outdoor
levels were similar (0.95-0.96) and significant. The markedly higher
exposure to B[a]P in Kraków in winter than in summer can be explained
by the massive use of coal for heating in the cold season. Conclusion: We conclude that although ambient PM2.5
measurements provide an adequate indicator of outdoor air quality for
use in epidemiologic studies, they may not be adequate for studies on
relationship between non-ambient pollution and health effects. Since
only about 20% of variability in personal B[a]P exposure could be
explained by personal PM2.5 level, the extrapolation of personal exposure to B[a]P from personal PM2.5 data may be greatly underestimated.
Key words
Indoor, Outdoor urban air, Personal exposure, Fine particles, Benzo[a]pyrene![](images/buttons/buynum_blue_EN.gif)