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Indoor Particle's Pollution in Bucharest, Romania
Lelia Letitia Popescu1, Razvan Stefan Popescu1, Tiberiu Catalina1,2
1Faculty of Building Services, Technical University of Civil Engineering, 021414 Bucharest, Romania.
Toxics
|December 22, 2022
Summary
Air pollution significantly impacts health, with indoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in Bucharest higher on weekends. The pandemic period showed substantially improved indoor air quality compared to the post-pandemic era.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Public Health
- Atmospheric Chemistry
Background:
- Air pollution is a major global health risk, exceeding factors like tobacco use and poor diet.
- In the EU, 97% of urban populations exceed WHO guideline levels for fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
- Bucharest ranks among Europe's most polluted cities, necessitating indoor air quality assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure real-time indoor particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels in Bucharest during the pandemic.
- To analyze the PM2.5/PM10 ratio and its rate of change in various indoor environments.
- To compare indoor air quality during pandemic and post-pandemic periods.
Main Methods:
- Real-time monitoring of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in indoor environments.
- Calculation of the PM2.5/PM10 ratio and its temporal trends (weekday vs. weekend, seasonal).
- Comparative analysis of indoor air quality data from October 2021 (pandemic) and October 2022 (post-pandemic).
Main Results:
- The PM2.5/PM10 ratio was higher on weekends, indicating infiltration of outdoor pollution from leisure activities and traffic.
- Particulate matter levels were higher in autumn than summer, suggesting outdoor air permeation.
- Indoor PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations increased with human activity; pandemic period showed significantly lower levels (64% and 47% reduction respectively) compared to post-pandemic.
Conclusions:
- Indoor air quality in Bucharest was significantly better during the pandemic period due to reduced human activity and potentially lower outdoor pollution.
- Human activity levels directly influence indoor particulate matter concentrations, with PM2.5 showing a notable increase.
- The study highlights the need for continued monitoring and mitigation strategies for indoor air pollution, especially in highly polluted urban areas.
