Indoor/outdoor relationship of PM 2.5 concentration in typical buildings with and without air cleaning in Beijing

Abstract

Indoor and outdoor particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) concentrations were monitored in seven sampling sites: basketball stadium, hotel, shopping centre, research centre, commercial office, apartment building and villa, to determine the indoor and outdoor relationship of PM_2.5 mass concentration in the central area of Beijing from February 2014 to March 2014. The influence of four types of ventilation systems on indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratio of PM_2.5 concentration was evaluated. The measured results show that the mean I/O ratio of the seven locations was 0.36 when the outdoor PM_2.5 concentration was more than 150 µg/m³, and 1.1 when the outdoor PM_2.5 concentration was less than 100 µg/m³, which implies that people’s activities could be the most likely factor rather than outdoor sources for elevated indoor PM_2.5 levels. The average I/O ratio was 0.69 for public buildings and 0.94 for residential homes, which illustrates that indoor PM_2.5 concentrations could be dominated by outdoor sources for residential homes. Approximately 90% of the outdoor particles were removed in public buildings equipped with fan-coil unit with air cleaning plus fresh air system. The results demonstrate the need to improve indoor air quality by using a proper ventilation system with air cleaning.

Keywords

Indoor air quality Particulate matter 2.5 Public building Residential home Ventilation systems Air cleaning unit Indoor to outdoor ratio

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

WHO. Air Quality Guidelines: Global update 2005. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2006.

Deng

CWF

Sundell

. Effects of ambient air pollution on the prevalence of pneumonia in children: implication for National Ambient Air quality Standards in China. Indoor Built Environ 2014; 23: 259–269.

Chen

Hong

Kan

. Exposures and health outcomes from outdoor air pollutants in China. Toxicology 2004; 198: 291–300.

Chan

Yao

. Air pollution in mega cities. Atmos Environ 2008; 42: 1–42.

Yang

Yao

Chan

Cadle

Chan

Mulawa

. Concentration and chemical composition of PM_2.5 in Shanghai for a 1-year period. Atmos Environ 2003; 37: 499–510.

Zhong

Yang

Kang

. Indoor and outdoor relationships of CO concentrations in natural ventilating rooms in summer, Shanghai. Build Environ 2013; 62: 69–76.

Sheng

Hao

Wang

Mai

. Vertical distribution of PAHs in the indoor and outdoor PM_2.5 in Guangzhou, China. Build Environ 2005; 40: 329–341.

Deng

CWF

. Characterising ambient concentration of PM₁₀ in urban environment of central south China. Indoor Built Environ 2015; 24: 324–339.

Deng

CWF

. Strategies for reduction of episodic risk of PM₁₀ by controlling industrial and traffic emissions of SO₂ and NO₂ and meteorological parameters. Indoor Built Environ 2015; 24: 473–488.

10.

Yang

Zhang

Yao

Chan

Cadle

Chan

Mulawa

. The characteristics of PM_2.5 in Beijing, China. Atmos Environ 2001; 35: 4959–4970.

11.

Adgate

Ramachandran

Pratt

Waller

Sexton

. Longitudinal variability in outdoor, indoor, and personal PM_2.5 exposure in healthy non-smoking adults. Atmos Environ 2003; 37: 993–1002.

12.

Schwarz

. Particulate air pollution and chronic respiratory disease. Environ Res 1993; 62: 7–13.

13.

Ackermann-Liebrich

Leuenberger

Scwwartz

Schindler

Monn

Sapaldia

. Lung function and long term exposure to air pollutions in Switzerland. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997; 155: 122–129.

14.

Molnar

Meszaros

Hansson

Gelencser

Kiss

Krivesy

. The importance of organic and elemental carbon in the fine atmospheric aerosols particles. Atmos Environ 1999; 33: 2745–2750.

15.

Lee

Chan

Chow

Yao

. Characterization of chemical species in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ aerosols in Hong Kong. Atmos Environ 2003; 37: 31–39.

16.

Liao

Huang

. Size-dependent particulate matter indoor/outdoor relationships for a wind-induced naturally ventilated airspace. Build Environ 2004; 39: 411–420.

17.

Habil

Taneja

. Children's exposure to indoor particulate matter in naturally ventilated schools in India. Indoor Built Environ 2011; 20: 430–448.

18.

Kuo

Shen

. Indoor and outdoor PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations in the air during a dust storm. Build Environ 2010; 45: 610–614.

19.

Andersen

. Relationships between outdoor and indoor air pollution. Atmos Environ 1972; 6: 275–278.

20.

Spengler

Dockery

. Long-term measurements of respirable sulfates and particles inside and outside homes. Atmos Environ 1981; 15: 23–30.

21.

Massey

Masih

Kulshrestha

Habil

Taneja

. Indoor/outdoor relationship of fine particles less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) in residential homes locations in central Indian region. Build Environ 2009; 44: 2037–2045.

22.

Massey

Kulshrestha

Masih

Taneja

. Seasonal trends of PM₁₀, PM_5.0, PM_2.5 & PM_1.0 in indoor and outdoor environments of residential homes located in North-Central India. Build Environ 2012; 47: 223–231.

23.

Thatcher

Layton

. Deposition, resespension, and penetration of particles within a residence. Atmos Environ 1995; 29: 1487–1497.

24.

Yocom

. Indoor-outdoor air quality relationships: a critical review. J Air Pollut Control Assoc 1982; 32: 500–520.

25.

Jones

Thornton

Mark

Harrison

. Indoor/outdoor relationships of particulate matter in domestic homes with roadside, urban and rural locations. Atmos Environ 2000; 34: 2603–2612.

26.

Hassanvand

Naddafi

Faridi

Arhami

Nabizadeh

Sowlat

Pourpak

Rastkari

Momeniha

Kashani

. Indoor/outdoor relationships of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and PM₁ mass concentrations and their water-soluble ions in a retirement home and a school dormitory. Atmos Environ 2014; 82: 375–382.

27.

Polidori

Arhami

Sioutas

Delfino

Allen

. Indoor/outdoor relationships, trends, and carbonaceous content of fine particulate matter in retirement homes of the Los Angeles Basin. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 2007; 57: 366–379.

28.

Hoek

Kos

Harrison

de Hartog

Meliefste

ten Brink

Katsouyanni

Karakatsani

Lianou

Kotronarou

. Indoor-outdoor relationships of particle number and mass in four European cities. Atmos Environ 2008; 42: 156–169.

29.

Tom

Ron

. HVAC air-quality model and its use to test a PM_2.5 control strategy. Build Environ 2008; 43: 1850–1857.

30.

Morawskaa

Jamriskaa

Guo

Jayaratnea

Cao

Summervilleb

. Variation in indoor particle number and PM_2.5 concentrations in a radio station surrounded by busy roads before and after an upgrade of the HVAC system. Build Environ 2009; 44: 76–84.

31.

Thatcher

Lunden

Revzan

Sextro

Brown

. A concentration rebound method for measuring particle penetration and deposition in the indoor environment. Aerosol Sci Technol 2003; 37: 847–864.

32.

Offermann

Sextro

Fisk

Grimsrud

Nazaroff

Nero

Revzan

Yater

. Control of respirable particles in indoor air with portable air cleaners. Atmos Environ 1985; 19: 1761–1771.

33.

Shaughnessy

Levetin

Blocker

Sublette

. Effectiveness of portable air cleaners: sensory testing results. Indoor Air 1994; 4: 179–188.

34.

Zuraimi

Nilsson

Magee

. Removing indoor particles using portable air cleaners: implications for residential infection transmission. Build Environ 2011; 46: 2512–2519.

35.

Zhang

Sundell

Wargocki

Zhang

Little

Corsi

Deng

Leung

MHK

. Can commonly used fan-driven air cleaning technologies improve indoor air quality? A literature review. Atmos Environ 2011; 45: 4329–4343.

36.

Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. Beijing Environmental Statement 2013, March 2014.

37.

GB/T18883-2002. Indoor-air-quality standard. The state environmental protection administration of the People’s Republic of China and the ministry of health of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing, China, 2003 [in Chinese].

38.

US EPA. National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter, 15 January 2013. http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_2007_fr.html (accessed 12 August 2015).

39.

Johnson

PRS

Graham

. Analysis of primary fine particle national ambient air quality standard metrics. J Air Waste Manage Assoc 2006; 56: 206–218.

40.

GB 3095-2012. Ambient Air Quality Standards. China EPA, 29 February 2012, Beijing: Standardization Administration of China, 2012.

41.

Cao

Chow

Lee

FSC

Watson

. Evolution of PM_2.5 measurements and standards in the U.S. and future perspectives for China. Aerosol Air Qual Res 2013; 13: 1197–1211.

42.

Liu

Wang

Pang

. Feasibility and difficulties of China’s new air quality standard compliance: PRD case of PM_2.5 and ozone from 2010 to 2025. Atmos Chem Phys 2013; 13: 12013–12027.

43.

Colome

Kado

Jaques

Kleinman

. Indoor-outdoor air pollution relations; particulate matter less than 10 mm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) in homes of asthmatics. Atmos Environ 1992; 26: 2173–2178.

44.

Patterson

Eatough

. Indoor/outdoor relationships for ambient PM_2.5 and associated pollutants: epidemiological implications in Lindon, Utah. J Air Waste Manage Assoc 2000; 501: 103–110.

45.

Nastos

Larissi

Grigoropoulos

Antoniou

Paliatsos

. Indoor and outdoor particulate matter variability in Athens, Greece. Indoor Built Environ 2013; 22: 586–592.

46.

Halek

Kianpour-Rad

Kavousirahim

. Parametric evaluation of indoor particulate matters in elementary schools in the central parts of Tehran. Indoor Built Environ 2013; 22: 580–585.

47.

Matson

. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of ultrafine particles in some Scandinavian rural and urban areas. Sci Total Environ 2005; 3431–3433: 169–176.

48.

Naumova

Eisenreich

Turpin

Weisel

Morandi

Colome

Totten

Stock

Winer

Alimokhtari

Kwon

Shendell

Jones

Maberti

Wall

. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the indoor and outdoor air of three cities in the U.S. Environ Sci Technol 2002; 36: 2552–2559.

49.

Lin

. Carbon profile of residential indoor PM₁ and PM_2.5 in the subtropical region. Atmos Environ 2003; 37: 881–888.

50.

Huang

Cao

Lee

Zou

Chen

Fan

. Spatial variation and relationship of indoor/outdoor PM_2.5 at residential homes in Guangzhou city, China. Aerosol Air Qual Res 2007; 7: 518–530.

51.

Lee

Chang

. Indoor and outdoor air quality investigation at schools in Hong Kong. Chemosphere 2000; 41: 109–113.