Assessment of the Personal Dose Received by School Children due to PM10 Air Pollution in Lisbon

Title: Assessment of the Personal Dose Received by School Children due to PM10 Air Pollution in Lisbon

Authors: Chalvatzaki E., Chatoutsidou S.E., Martins V., Faria T., Diapouli E., Manousakas M., Almeida S.M., Eleftheriadis K., Lazaridis M.

Abstract:

Investigation of the personal dose caused by air pollution in children is important due to their vulnerability. Exposure to PM₁₀ and its components, particularly certain metals, may pose significant health risks therefore many studies have focused on measuring the ambient indoor/outdoor PM₁₀ concentrations in school environments. However, little research has aimed at assessing the resultant personal dose. Hence, this study applied a dosimetry model (ExDoM2) to predict the personal dose received by students in five primary schools in Lisbon, Portugal. The calculations were performed for PM₁₀ and PM₁₀-bound metals, and the exposed subjects were assumed to be 10-year-old nose breathers. A realistic exposure scenario involving three different settings (the indoor home, indoor school and outdoor school microenvironments) was implemented for an exposure period of one week (Monday–Sunday). Although the students spent only 24% of their total time inside a school (vs. 73% at home), this environment contributed 44% on average to the weekly deposited dose of PM₁₀, providing further evidence that indoor exposure at schools is a major contributor to the total dose. The modeling results showed that the cumulative deposited doses in the respiratory tract (RT) reached as high as 2,004 µg, 0.16 µg, 0.65 µg, 0.58 µg and 0.06 µg for PM₁₀, Cr, Mn, Pb and Ni, respectively, after one week.

Main findings:

• The personal dose of PM₁₀ and several bound metals were calculated for schoolchildren.
• Students were considered to spend time in house-indoor and school-indoor/outdoor.
• The weekly deposited dose of PM₁₀ ranged from 1,156 μg to 2,004 μg.
• Higher doses for PM₁₀-bound metals were associated with increased concentrations.
• Indoor house and school environments had the higher contribution to the weekly dose.

Type of publication: Scientific article published at Aerosol and Air Quality Research

How to cite: Chalvatzaki E., Chatoutsidou S.E., Martins V., Faria T., Diapouli E., Manousakas M., Almeida S.M., Eleftheriadis K., Lazaridis M. (2020) Assessment of the Personal Dose Received by School Children due to PM10 Air Pollution in Lisbon. Aerosol and Air Quality Research 20, 1384-1397. DOI: 10.4209/aaqr.2020.01.0022

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