10th International Aerosol Conference
September 2 - September 7, 2018
America's Center Convention Complex
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Abstract View


Measuring Size-Resolved Indoor Particle Concentrations in Single-Family Homes with Asthmatic Residents: A Chicago Field Study

PARHAM AZIMI, Brent Stephens, Illinois Institute of Technology

     Abstract Number: 1111
     Working Group: Health Related Aerosols

Abstract
Human exposure to a variety of airborne pollutants such as particulate matter is often greater indoors than outdoors, particularly in residences where people spend most of their time. In fact, indoor exposure to PM2.5 in residences is estimated to account for the vast majority of the chronic disease burden associated with residential indoor air pollution. Moreover, one study recently estimated that residential exposures account for approximately 40% of the childhood and adult asthma prevalence in the U.S., where nearly 8% of the population has been diagnosed with asthma. However, few studies have elucidated the long-term contributions of indoor and outdoor sources to indoor PM concentrations in residences with asthmatic residents. Therefore, the goal of this study is to measure the size-resolved indoor and outdoor concentrations of particles (0.3 to 10 µm using an optical particle counter) in addition to several other pollutants in 45 single-family homes with asthmatic residents in Chicago, IL over a yearlong period. Each home is visited four times per year, with approximately weeklong monitoring periods occurring once per season. Simultaneous measurements of indoor and outdoor particle concentrations will allow for estimating the relative contribution of indoor and outdoor sources by estimating infiltration factors using a censoring algorithm. This work is also part of a larger study to investigate the effectiveness of three common approaches to upgrading residential mechanical ventilation systems in existing homes for reducing indoor pollutants of both indoor and outdoor origin and improving asthma-related health outcomes. These results will be treated as the background measurements before upgrading the mechanical ventilation systems of the participants’ homes.