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Indoor PM2.5 as a Function of Outdoor PM2.5, Temperature, Heatwave Period, and Smoking Status
RUIKANG HE, Ioanna Tsoulou, Sanjeevi Thirumurugesan, Brian Morgan, Stephania Gonzalez, Deborah Plotnik, Jennifer Senick, Clinton J. Andrews, Gediminas Mainelis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Abstract Number: 540
Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract
PM2.5, defined as airborne particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less, is an important indoor pollutant that leads to negative cardiovascular and respiratory effects. Our previous study showed that indoor PM2.5 is influenced by outdoor PM2.5 levels, human indoor activities such as smoking, and could also be affected by heatwaves (days with t > 90F). However, clear relationships between indoor PM2.5 and these factors remain largely unexplored. In our continuing investigation of heatwave effects on indoor PM, we focused on how indoor smoking modifies the influence of outdoor conditions on indoor air quality. Thus, apartments of 8 smokers and 16 non-smokers were monitored from July to September to track the change in indoor PM2.5 and relate them with outdoor conditions.
We found that indoor PM2.5 levels increased as outdoor temperature increased in 87.5% of non-smokers’ apartments and 37.5% of smokers’ apartments in both heatwave and non-heatwave days. Slope coefficients of the linear regression between indoor PM2.5 and outdoor temperature were statistically significant and positive for 62.5% of non-smokers’ apartments and 37.5% of smokers’ apartments for both heatwave and non-heatwave days; 25.0% of smokers’ apartments showed statistically significant negative slope coefficients for heatwave days. Also, indoor PM2.5 levels increased with increasing outdoor PM2.5, except for 4 smokers’ and 2 non-smokers’ apartments. Analysis of the relationship between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 showed that in 68.8% of non-smokers’ apartments slope coefficients were statistically significant and positive regardless of heatwave; on the other hand, no smokers’ apartments showed statistically significant slopes during heatwave days, i.e., the heatwave conditions did not add much PM2.5 to already high PM2.5 levels in smokers’ apartments.
Overall, our data suggest that long-term monitoring in residences could be helpful to the combined research into climate change, indoor air pollution, and resulting human health effects.
This research was funded by NSF grant AGS‐1645786.