title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: levels and phase distributions in preschool microenvironment.
abstract: This work aims to characterize levels and phase distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor air of preschool environment and to assess the impact of outdoor PAH emissions to indoor environment. Gaseous and particulate (PM1 and PM(2.5)) PAHs (16 USEPA priority pollutants, plus dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, and benzo[j]fluoranthene) were concurrently sampled indoors and outdoors in one urban preschool located in north of Portugal for 35 days. The total concentration of 18 PAHs (ΣPAHs) in indoor air ranged from 19.5 to 82.0 ng/m(3) ; gaseous compounds (range of 14.1-66.1 ng/m(3)) accounted for 85% ΣPAHs. Particulate PAHs (range 0.7-15.9 ng/m(3)) were predominantly associated with PM1 (76% particulate ΣPAHs) with 5-ring PAHs being the most abundant. Mean indoor/outdoor ratios (I/O) of individual PAHs indicated that outdoor emissions significantly contributed to PAH indoors; emissions from motor vehicles and fuel burning were the major sources.
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal.|LEPABE, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Slezakova
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delerue-Matos
authors.affiliation: LEPABE, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morais
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D012578:Schools, Nursery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: Children; Indoor air; Indoor/outdoor; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Preschools