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Indoor versus Outdoor Air Quality during Wildfires
K P Messier1, L G Tidwell1, C C Ghetu1
1Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, United States of America.
Environmental Science & Technology Letters
|February 26, 2020
Summary
Indoor air quality during wildfires is a concern. This study found indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels were often higher than outdoor levels, suggesting PAHs should be included in wildfire risk assessments.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Public Health
- Chemistry
Background:
- Wildfire smoke recommendations often focus on particulate matter, potentially overlooking gas-phase pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
- Increased time spent indoors raises concerns about indoor air quality during wildfire events.
- Existing research often lacks paired indoor-outdoor measurements for gas-phase pollutants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate paired indoor and outdoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in residential settings during wildfire events.
- To investigate the relationship between indoor/outdoor PAH levels and satellite-derived wildfire smoke intensity.
- To inform public health recommendations by assessing the role of gas-phase pollutants in wildfire exposure.
Main Methods:
- Deployment of low-density polyethylene passive air samplers for 24-hour resolution indoor and outdoor measurements at six urban sites in Eugene, Oregon.
- Quantitative analysis of 63 PAH compounds using gas-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
- Application of probabilistic principal components analysis to aggregate PAH data and linear regression to assess relationships with indoor/outdoor levels and wildfire smoke intensity.
Main Results:
- Indoor gas-phase PAH concentrations were consistently equal to or greater than outdoor concentrations.
- Outdoor, but not indoor, gas-phase PAH concentrations showed a likely association with satellite-identified wildfire events.
- A significant portion of PAHs measured were gas-phase, indicating their potential contribution to overall exposure.
Conclusions:
- Gas-phase pollutants, specifically PAHs, are a critical component of indoor air quality during wildfire events.
- Current wildfire smoke risk assessments may be incomplete by not fully considering gas-phase pollutants.
- Future public health strategies should incorporate monitoring and mitigation of indoor gas-phase PAHs during wildfires.
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