American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 38th Annual Conference
October 5 - October 9, 2020

Virtual Conference

Abstract View


Problems at Home: Comparing Health Risks of Indoor and Outdoor Emissions during the HOMEChem Campaign

ANNA HODSHIRE, Matson A. Pothier, Erin K. Boedicker, Delphine K. Farmer, Colorado State University

     Abstract Number: 493
     Working Group: Indoor Aerosols

Abstract
Although humans spend ~90% of their lives indoors, air quality standards are focused on outdoor, ambient particulate matter concentrations and composition. The 2018 HOMEChem (House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry) field campaign consisted of realistic cooking, cleaning, and house-opening activities within a test house. HOMEChem demonstrated that these events had variable aerosol compositions, and that the indoor aerosol concentrations during events such as cooking can exceed United States ambient air quality standards. Not all aerosol are created equally: recent studies have shown that variable particle compositions may have nonlinear health impacts with increasing particle concentrations. For example, regional analysis in Canada indicates that black carbon and nitrate have a larger influence on cardiovascular outcomes than components such as dust and sulfate. Particle composition also influences the oxidative potential of aerosol (another marker for aerosol toxicity), with metals and organic species recently implicated as strong drivers of oxidative potential. As well, recent work indicates the health effects of particulate matter may be modified by O3 and NO2, and these oxidant profiles indoors often do not follow outdoor profiles. Here, we examine particle composition and concentrations along with oxidant gas concentrations during HOMEChem as observed during cooking, cleaning, house-opening, and unoccupied time periods to determine how changing composition may influence particle toxicity during different events. We further compare indoor trends in aerosol composition and concentrations and oxidant gas concentrations with ambient trends to provide a broad overview of the relevance of indoor air quality to the epidemiology community.