Personal measurement of exposure to black carbon and ultrafine particles in schoolchildren from PARIS cohort (Paris, France)

This study aimed to measure in French children personal exposure concentrations of black carbon (BC) and ultrafine particles (UFP), and to quantify the contribution of different microenvironments (home, school, places of extra‐curricular activities, transport) to their total exposure. It was conducted on 96 9‐year‐old children from the PARIS birth cohort. BC and UFP were continuously measured by portable devices (microAeth® AE51 and DiSCmini®) for a minimum of 24 hours, while participating families simultaneously filled in a space‐time‐activity questionnaire. BC exposure concentration was higher during trips (principally metro/train and bus), while UFP exposure concentration was higher during indoor activities (mainly eating at restaurants) and in trips. The most important UFP peaks were measured at home, especially during cooking. Home and school together accounted for much of the total exposure, 83.8% for BC and 85.3% for UFP. The contribution of transport to total exposure was 12.4% for BC and 9.7% for UFP, while extra‐curricular activities were responsible for 3.8% and 5% of the total exposure to BC and UFP, respectively. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Indoor Air - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research