Long-term monitoring of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure to gaseous chemical compounds

Shigehisa Uchiyama; Mayumi Noguchi; Mayu Hishiki; Moka Shimizu; Naoki Kunugita; Tomohiko Isobe; Shoji F Nakayama

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167830

Long-term monitoring of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure to gaseous chemical compounds

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 1:906:167830. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167830. Epub 2023 Oct 13.

Authors

Shigehisa Uchiyama¹, Mayumi Noguchi², Mayu Hishiki³, Moka Shimizu², Naoki Kunugita⁴, Tomohiko Isobe⁵, Shoji F Nakayama⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Public Health, 2-3-6, Minami, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0197, Japan. Electronic address: uchiyama.s.aa@niph.go.jp.
² Faculty and Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoicho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical and Environmental Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, Hyakunincho, 3-24-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan.
⁴ School of Health Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan.
⁵ Japan Environment and Children's Study Program Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.

PMID: 37838061
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167830

Abstract

Seasonal variations of chemical compounds in indoor air and outdoor air and personal exposure to these chemicals were continuously monitored for 6 years using four types of passive sampling devices: PSD-BPE/DNPH packed with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine and trans-1,2-bis(2-pyridyl)ethylene coated silica for ozone and carbonyls; PSD-VOC packed with Carboxen 572 or Active Carbon Beads particles for volatile organic compounds; PSD-TEA packed with triethanolamine impregnated silica for acid gases; and PSD-TEA packed with phosphoric acid impregnated silica for basic gases. Many chemical compounds except for nitrogen dioxide, formic acid, and benzene showed seasonal variations with high concentrations in summer and low concentrations in winter. In particular, formaldehyde, nonanal, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate, and ammonia concentrations showed remarkable seasonal variation. For example, the concentration of formaldehyde in February and August was 5.9 and 40 μg/m³, respectively, a difference of about 7 times. Although there were large differences in the concentrations in each house, the fluctuation pattern was almost the same every year in each house. By contrast, nitrogen dioxide, formic acid, and benzene concentrations were low in summer and high in winter. These compounds were generated by kerosine and gas stoves in winter. Long-term continuous monitoring revealed that annual mean concentrations could be estimated using data from February and August. Personal exposure concentrations could be classified into four patterns: chemicals affected by the indoor environment such as formaldehyde, chemicals affected by the outdoor environment such as ozone, chemicals affected by the occupational environment such as hexane, and background level chemicals such as benzene (without kerosine and gas stoves). Indoor and outdoor measurements are means to investigate the "health" of each environment. Personal exposure measurement using PSD-samplers is suitable for assessing the health risk of chemical compounds to humans.

Keywords: Diffusive sampler; Indoor air; Long term monitoring; Personal exposure; Seasonal variation.