title: Total exposure to airborne particulate matter in cities: the effect of biomass combustion.
abstract: The study deals with the seasonal variability of PM exposure and the effect that biomass combustion has upon it in the urban environment. The study is based on measurements, chemical analyses and modeling results performed in Thessaloniki (Greece). The measurements campaign included the assessment of outdoor and indoor air quality and the evaluation of biomass use for domestic heating. The outdoor measurements highlighted a significant increase of PM10 (from 30.1 to 73.1 μg/m(3)) and PM2.5 (from 19.4 to 62.7 μg/m(3)) concentrations during the transition from the warm to the cold period of the year 2012 compared to 2011. The increase in ambient air PM during the winter was attributed to the use of biomass burning for space heating. The latter was verified by the presence of levoglucosan in the PM (concentrations up to 8 μg/m(3)), especially for samples taken from the urban background site. Outdoor PM concentrations were also modeled using an artificial neural network model taking into account major meteorological parameters; the latter explained more than 90% of PM10 and PM2.5 day-to-day variability. Indoor concentrations followed a similar pattern, while in the case of fireplace use, average daily concentrations rise to 10 μg/m(3) and 14 μg/m(3) for PM2.5 and PM10 respectively. Indoor air concentrations were affected the most by the ambient air particle infiltration. Indoor air quality went down after 3h of open fire biomass combustion for space heating. Personal exposure was significantly determined by overall indoor air quality. Yet, dynamic exposure analysis revealed that peaks of intake do not correspond to peaks of ambient air PM concentrations altering thus total exposure patterns. Thus, cost-effective public health protection has to aim at reducing the exposure profile of susceptible population sub-groups combining awareness raising, emission reduction measures and financial incentives to influence the choice of space heating systems.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Natural and Renewable Resource Exploitation Laboratory, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: denis@eng.auth.gr.
authors.forename: Dimosthenis Α
authors.initials: DΑ
authors.lastname: Sarigiannis
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Natural and Renewable Resource Exploitation Laboratory, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Spyros P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Karakitsios
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Marianthi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kermenidou
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Spyridoula
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikolaki
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zikopoulos
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Stauros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Semelidis
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Laboratory, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papagiannakis
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Roxani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tzimou
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D017745:Incineration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Artificial neural networks; Biomass burning; Indoor air; PM exposure