title: Sources of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations in primary schools.
abstract: Children spend a third of their day in the classroom, where air pollution levels may differ substantially from those outdoors due to specific indoor sources. Air pollution exposure assessments based on atmospheric particle mass measured outdoors may therefore have little to do with the daily PM dose received by school children. This study aims to investigate outdoor and indoor sources of PM2.5 measured at 39 primary schools in Barcelona during 2012. On average 47% of indoor PM2.5 measured concentrations was found to be generated indoors due to continuous resuspension of soil particles (13%) and a mixed source (34%) comprising organic (skin flakes, clothes fibers, possible condensation of VOCs) and Ca-rich particles (from chalk and building deterioration). Emissions from seven outdoor sources penetrated easily indoors being responsible for the remaining 53% of measured PM2.5 indoors. Unpaved playgrounds were found to increase mineral contributions in classrooms by 5-6 μg/m(3) on average with respect to schools with paved playgrounds. Weekday traffic contributions varied considerably across Barcelona within ranges of 1-14 μg/m(3) outdoor and 1-10 μg/m(3) indoor. Indoors, traffic contributions were significantly higher (more than twofold) for classrooms with windows oriented directly to the street, rather than to the interior of the block or to playgrounds. This highlights the importance of urban planning in order to reduce children's exposure to traffic emissions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: fulvio.amato@idaea.csic.es.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra Cerdanyola, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bouso
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reche
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Àlvarez-Pedrerol
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alastuey
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), C/ Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sunyer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, (IDÆA) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Querol
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012574:Schools
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Aerosol; Barcelona; Indoor; Outdoor; PMF