title: Comparison of outdoor and indoor mobile source-related volatile organic compounds between low- and high-floor apartments.
abstract: The current study examined the hypothesis that there may be vertical variation in mobile source-related volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in high-rise apartment buildings. One hundred twelve homes in 56 high-rise apartment buildings with 10 or more stories participated in the study. Both the outdoor and the indoor air concentrations of three VOCs [methyl-tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), benzene, and toluene] were significantly higher for the low-floor apartments than for the high-floor apartments (P < 0.05). The median outdoor concentrations were 5.4, 6.8, and 29.1 microgram/m3, respectively, for the low-floor apartments, yet 4.4, 4.3, and 21.9 microgram/m3, respectively, for the high-floor apartments. Meanwhile, the median indoor concentrations were 6.3, 9.4, and 44.8 microgram/m3, respectively, for the low-floor apartments, yet 5.1, 7.6, and 38.8 microgram/m3, respectively, for the high-floor apartments. These findings indicate that residents of low-floor apartments are exposed to elevated residential levels of mobile source-related VOCs compared to high-floor apartment residents. The indoor concentrations of the target VOCs, except for MTBE, were significantly higher than the outdoor air concentrations for both the low and high floors (P < 0.05). Plus, the outdoor and indoor VOC concentrations were significantly different between the daytime and nighttime data sets for both low- and high-floor apartments, with a P value of less than or close to 0.05.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, South Korea. wkjo@knu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Wan-Kuen
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Ki-Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kun-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yoo-Keun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hwa-Woon
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jong-Kil
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D001554:Benzene / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D014050:Toluene / Q000032:analysis; D014505:Urban Population; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D009930:Organic Chemicals; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D014050:Toluene; D001554:Benzene