Respirable Particulates and Oxides of Nitrogen Measured Inside a Building Alongside a Busy Road

Abstract

Gravimetric determination and continuous monitoring of respirable dust in air has revealed that there are high levels of dust at some roadside and indoor locations in urban areas. Furthermore, where high dust levels are measured in roadside samples, high concentrations are also measured in adjacent build ings. The dust levels measured inside a building have been shown to be very closely correlated to ambient levels, and traffic emissions, particularly from diesel vehicles, are the principal source of respirable particulates. Other traf fic-related air pollutants have also been measured in high concentrations inside a building alongside a busy road. A clear decline in respirable dust con centration with height above ground level has been observed inside a building, and this is proposed as good evidence that a ground level source such as diesel exhaust emissions is important.