Personal Exposure to Fine Particles and Benzo[A]pyrene. Relation with Indoor and Outdoor Concentrations of these Pollutants in Kraków
Open Access
- 1 January 2007
- journal article
- Published by Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
- Vol. 20 (4), 339-348
- https://doi.org/10.2478/v10001-007-0035-z
Abstract
This study assessed personal exposure of pregnant women to fine particles (PM(25)) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and the relationship between pollutant concentrations in ambient and indoor air.In a group of 78 pregnant women, simultaneous 48 h measurements of personal, indoor, and outdoor exposure to PM(25) and B[a]P were carried out in the second trimester of pregnancy. The results show that participants were exposed to varying concentrations of PM(25) and B[a]P, with higher exposure in the winter season. Overall, the mean personal PM(25) level was 30.4 microg/m(3) and B[a]P 2.1 ng/m(3). The winter/summer ratios for mean personal exposures were 1.4 (35.6 microg/m(3) vs. 25.8 microg/m(3)) and 5.4 (4.9 ng/m(3) vs. 0.9 ng/m(3)), respectively. As for indoor levels, the winter/summer ratios were 1.4 (33.2 microg/m(3) vs. 24.4 microg/m(3)) for PM(25) and 5.4 (4.3 ng/m(3) vs. 0.8 ng/m(3)) for B[a]P, and for outdoor concentrations, the respective values were 1.5 (40.3 microg/m(3) vs. 26.4 microg/m(3), and 6.8 (6.1 ng/m(3) vs 0.9 ng/m(3)). A stronger correlation was found between personal PM(25) 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.We conclude that although ambient PM(25) 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 PM(25) level, the extrapolation of personal exposure to B[a]P from personal PM(25) data may be greatly underestimated.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Factors Affecting the Association between Ambient Concentrations and Personal Exposures to Particles and GasesEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2006
- Particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in indoor and outdoor microenvironments in Boston, MassachusettsJournal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2002
- Cancer Risk Assessment, Indicators, and Guidelines for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Ambient AirEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2002
- Temporal Trends, Temperature Dependence, and Relative Reactivity of Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2001
- Relationships among personal, indoor, and outdoor fine and coarse particle concentrations for individuals with COPDJournal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2000
- Recent Developments in Molecular Epidemiology: A Study of the Effects of Environmental Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Birth Outcomes in PolandAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 1998
- Ambient air concentrations of pollutants at traffic-related sites in urban areas of North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanyScience of The Total Environment, 1994
- A review of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Sources, fate and behaviorWater, Air, & Soil Pollution, 1991
- Carcinogenic Risk Assessment of Complex MixturesToxicology and Industrial Health, 1989
- Relationship of Leukemia to Lung and Stomach Tumors in Mice Fed Benzo(a) PyreneExperimental Biology and Medicine, 1969