title: An approach to assess the Particulate Matter exposure for the population living around a cement plant: modelling indoor air and particle deposition in the respiratory tract.
abstract: In this paper we studied the exposure to three size fractions of outdoor particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) collected in an area influenced by a cement plant. For that purpose, three groups of population were evaluated (children, adults and retired) in two seasons (summer and winter). Outdoor measured PM concentrations, as well as physiological parameters and activity patterns of the three groups of population were used as input data in two different models. The first one was an indoor air quality model, used to elucidate indoor PM concentrations in different microenvironments. The second one was a dosimetry model, used to evaluate the internal exposure and the distribution of the different PM fractions in the respiratory tract. Results from the indoor air quality model showed that special attention must be paid to the finest particles, since they penetrate indoors in a greater degree. Highest pulmonary doses for the three PM sizes were reported for retired people, being this a result of the high amount of time in outdoor environments exercising lightly. For children, the exposure was mainly influenced by the time they also spend outdoors, but in this case due to heavy intensity activities. It was noticed that deposition of fine particles was more significant in the pulmonary regions of children and retired people in comparison with adults, which has implications in the expected adverse health effects for those vulnerable groups of population.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Soberón
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Montse
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mari
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain; Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Sant Llorenç 21, 43201 Reus, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rovira
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Sant Llorenç 21, 43201 Reus, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Martí
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nadal
authors.affiliation: Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain; Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Sant Llorenç 21, 43201 Reus, Catalonia, Spain. Electronic address: marta.schuhmacher@urv.cat.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuhmacher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D003252:Construction Materials; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000378:metabolism*; D013030:Spain; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Cement; Fine particulate matter; Human respiratory tract model; Indoor/outdoor exposure