title: The impact of particle filtration on indoor air quality in a classroom near a highway.
abstract: A pilot study was performed to investigate whether the application of a new mechanical ventilation system with a fine F8 (MERV14) filter could improve indoor air quality in a high school near the Amsterdam ring road. PM10, PM2.5, and black carbon (BC) concentrations were measured continuously inside an occupied intervention classroom and outside the school during three sampling periods in the winter of 2013/2014. Initially, 3 weeks of baseline measurements were performed, with the existing ventilation system and normal ventilation habits. Next, an intervention study was performed. A new ventilation system was installed in the classroom, and measurements were performed during 8 school weeks, in alternating 2-week periods with and without the filter in the ventilation system under otherwise identical ventilation conditions. Indoor/outdoor ratios measured during the weeks with filter were compared with those measured without filter to evaluate the ability of the F8 filter to improve indoor air quality. During teaching hours, the filter reduced BC exposure by, on average, 36%. For PM10 and PM2.5, a reduction of 34% and 30% was found, respectively. This implies that application of a fine filter can reduce the exposure of schoolchildren to traffic exhaust at hot spot locations by about one-third.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: van der Zee
authors.affiliation: Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, PO Box 80178, 3508 TD, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strak
authors.affiliation: Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M B A
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Dijkema
authors.affiliation: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brunekreef
authors.affiliation: Center for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N A H
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Janssen
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012574:Schools; D053260:Soot / Q000032:analysis; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*; D014691:Ventilation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D053260:Soot; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
keywords: Black carbon; Filtration; Highway; Particulate matter; School; Ventilation