Indoor air quality at life and work environments in Rome, Italy

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Chemistry

Background:

• Air quality assessment is crucial for understanding public health risks.
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are significant indoor and outdoor air pollutants.
• Microenvironment air quality varies greatly, impacting human exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess indoor and outdoor air quality in Rome's microenvironments.
• To determine concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and gaseous toxicants.
• To identify major sources of PAHs and understand indoor/outdoor relationships.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a 3-week intensive sampling campaign in March 2013.
• Measured indoor and outdoor concentrations of particulate PAHs, PM2.5, NO2, NOx, SO2, O3, and BTEX.
• Applied multivariate analysis and source apportionment methods for PAH origin identification.

Main Results:

• Total particulate PAHs ranged from 1.53 to 4.96 ng/m(3) indoors and 2.75 to 3.48 ng/m(3) outdoors.
• Motor vehicles, biomass burning, and soil resuspension identified as major outdoor PAH sources.
• Higher indoor/outdoor concentration ratios for PAHs and BTEX indicated significant indoor sources, including tobacco smoke and cleaning products.

Conclusions:

• Internal sources significantly contribute to indoor air pollution, exceeding outdoor levels in some cases.
• Benzo[a]pyrene, a WHO marker for carcinogenic risk, was approximately 50% higher in investigated locations compared to regional references.
• Effective air quality management requires addressing both outdoor emissions and indoor pollution sources.