Evaluation of Airborne Particulate Matter and Volatile Organic Compounds Released by Three Types of Mosquito Repellents

• Published in: Aerosol and Air Quality Research Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 1 - 16+ap5
• Main Authors: Lee, Soyeon, Park, Jongmin, Lee, Myoungho, Kim, Minjung, Kim, Boowook, Lee, Kiyoung, Zoh, Kyungduk, Yoon, Chungsik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 社團法人台灣氣膠研究學會 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Mosquito repellent; Emission rate; VOCs; Emission factor; PM
• ISSN: 1680-8584; 2071-1409
• DOI: 10.4209/aaqr.230250

This study investigates the emissions from various mosquito repellents, focusing on particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). PM was measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and optical particle spectrometer (OPS) in an exposure chamber; VOCs were collected with Tenax TA and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. SMPS measurements in the range of 10-420 nm showed that the coil-types had the highest concentration (13,048 particles cm^(-3)), followed by the mat-types (119 particles cm^(-3)), and liquid-types (42 particles cm^(-3)). However, the percentage of nanoparticles was highest in the liquid-type (50%), followed by the mat (46%) and coil-types (33%) (p ＜ 0.05). According to the OPS measurements, covering a range of 0.3-10 µm, showed the highest value for the coil-types (4,096 particles cm^(-3)), with similar values for the mat and liquid-types (13 particles cm^(-3) each). The percentage of particles ＜ 2.5 µm in size, which can easily enter the lower respiratory tract, was 82-99%. Coil types burn at a much faster rate (29.31 mg min^(-1)) than liquid (1.89 mg min^(-1)) and mat types (1.30 mg min^(-1)), indicating a more intense combustion process. Coil types also lead in emission rates (1.94 × 10^(10) particles min^(-1) for 10-420 nm) releasing more particles per minute, followed by liquid (1.87 × 10^8 particles min^(-1)) and then mat types (6.34 × 10^7 particles min^(-1)), suggesting higher particulate emissions during use. When normalized by usage weight, Coil types again show the highest emission factors (6.59 × 10^(11) particles g^(-1)), implying they emit more particles per gram of product burned than liquid (1.82 × 10^(11) particles g^(-1)) and mat (4.81 × 10^(10) particles g^(-1)) types. The study highlights the need for comprehensive understanding of repellent emissions due to their potential health impacts.