Indoor air quality at life and work environments in Rome, Italy

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 3503 - 3516
• Main Authors: Romagnoli, P, Balducci, C, Perilli, M, Vichi, F, Imperiali, A, Cecinato, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: air; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Air quality; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzene; Benzo(a)pyrene; biomass; BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene); burning; Carcinogens; cleaning agents; Coffee; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; emissions; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Environmental Monitoring - methods; floors; Hazardous Substances - analysis; heat; Housing - standards; Indoor air pollution; Indoor air quality; Indoor environments; Investigations; Isomers; Microenvironments; monitoring; Motor vehicles; Multivariate analysis; nitric oxide; Nitrogen dioxide; Outdoor air quality; ozone; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - analysis; Pollutants; pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Principal components analysis; Research Article; risk estimate; Rome; Schools; Schools - standards; Smoking; smoking (habit); soil; Sulfur dioxide; Tobacco; Tobacco smoking; Toluene; toxic substances; Toxicants; vehicles (equipment); VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; working conditions; Workplace - standards; World Health Organization; Xylene; Italy; Rome Italy; Europe; Italy, Lazio; MED, Italy; Volatile organic compounds; PAHs; Rome; Indoor/outdoor concentration ratio; PM; Indoor air; PM2.5
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5558-4

The air quality of three different microenvironments (school, dwelling, and coffee bar) located in the city of Rome, Italy, was assessed. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with PM₂.₅ particles were determined during an intensive 3-week sampling campaign conducted in March 2013. In interiors, total particulate PAHs ranged from 1.53 to 4.96 ng/m³ while outdoor air contained from 2.75 to 3.48 ng/m³. In addition, gaseous toxicants, i.e., NO₂, NO ₓ , SO₂, O₃, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, and xylene isomers), were determined both in internal and external air. To solve the origin of indoor and outdoor PAHs, several source apportionment methods were applied. Multivariate analysis revealed that emissions from motor vehicles, biomass burning for heating purposes, and soil resuspension were the major sources of PAHs in the city. No linear correlation was established between indoor and outdoor values for PM₂.₅ and BTEX; the respective indoor/outdoor concentration ratios exceed unity except for PM₂.₅ in the no smoking home and benzene in all school floors. This suggests that important internal sources such as tobacco smoking, cleaning products, and resuspension dust contributed to indoor pollution. Using the monitoring stations of ARPA Lazio regional network as reference, the percentage within PAH group of benzo[a]pyrene, which is the WHO marker for the carcinogenic risk estimates, was ca. 50 % higher in all locations investigated.