title: Indoor and outdoor PM10levels at schools located near mine dumps in Gauteng and North West Provinces, South Africa.
abstract: Few studies in South Africa have investigated the exposure of asthmatic learners to indoor and outdoor air pollution at schools. This study compared outdoor PM10and SO2exposure levels in exposed (1-2 km from gold mine dumps) and unexposed schools (5 km or more from gold mine dumps). It also examined exposure of asthmatic children to indoor respirable dust at exposed and unexposed schools.
  
  
  
  The study was conducted between 1 and 31 October 2012 in five schools from exposed and five from unexposed communities. Outdoor PM10and SO2levels were measured for 8-h at each school. Ten asthmatic learners were randomly selected from each school for 8-h personal respirable dust sampling during school hours.
  
  
  
  The level of outdoor PM10for exposed was 16.42 vs. 11.47 mg.m-3for the unexposed communities (p < 0.001). The outdoor SO2for exposed was 0.02 ppb vs. 0.01 ppb for unexposed communities (p < 0.001). Indoor respirable dust in the classroom differed significantly between exposed (0.17 mg.m-3) vs. unexposed (0.01 mg.m-3) children with asthma at each school (p < 0.001).
  
  
  
  The significant differences between exposed and unexposed schools could reveal a serious potential health hazard for school children, although they were within the South African Air Quality Standards' set by the Department of Environmental Affairs. The indoor respirable dust levels in exposed schools could have an impact on children with asthma, as they were significantly higher than the unexposed schools, although there are no published standards for environmental exposure for children with asthma.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa. vnkosi334@gmail.com.|Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa. vnkosi334@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vusumuzi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nkosi
authors.affiliation: School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.affiliation: School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
authors.forename: Kuku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Voyi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008906:Mining; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013019:South Africa; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide; D006046:Gold
keywords: Air pollution; Asthma; Mine dumps; Schools; South Africa