Modelling indoor radical chemistry during the HOMEChem campaign.

In the indoor environment, occupants are exposed to air pollutants originating from continuous indoor sources and exchange with the outdoor air, with the highest concentration episodes dominated by activities performed indoors such as cooking and cleaning. Here we use the INdoor CHEMical model in Python (INCHEM-Py) constrained by measurements from the House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) campaign, to investigate the impact of a bleach cleaning event and cooking on indoor air chemistry. Measurements of the concentrations of longer-lived organic and inorganic compounds, as well as measured photolysis rates, have been used as input for the model, and the modelled hydroxyl (OH) radicals, hydroperoxyl radicals, and nitrous acid (HONO) concentrations compared to the measured values.

Emissions from Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfection and Their Interaction with Mask Surfaces.

A rise in the disinfection of spaces occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an increase in people wearing facial coverings. Hydrogen peroxide was among the recommended disinfectants for use against the virus. Previous studies have investigated the emissions of hydrogen peroxide associated with the disinfection of spaces and masks; however, those studies did not focus on the emitted byproducts from these processes.

Bleach Emissions Interact Substantially with Surgical and KN95 Mask Surfaces.

Mask wearing and bleach disinfectants became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bleach generates toxic species including hypochlorous acid (HOCl), chlorine (Cl), and chloramines. Their reaction with organic species can generate additional toxic compounds.

Measurements of Hydroxyl Radical Concentrations during Indoor Cooking Events: Evidence of an Unmeasured Photolytic Source of Radicals.

The hydroxyl radical (OH) is the dominant oxidant in the outdoor environment, controlling the lifetimes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and contributing to the growth of secondary organic aerosols. Despite its importance outdoors, there have been relatively few measurements of the OH radical in indoor environments. During the House Observations of Microbial and Environmental Chemistry (HOMEChem) campaign, elevated concentrations of OH were observed near a window during cooking events, in addition to elevated mixing ratios of nitrous acid (HONO), VOCs, and nitrogen oxides (NO).

Aerosol dynamics modeling of sub-500 nm particles during the HOMEChem study.

We spend most of our time in built environments. The cumulative exposure to particulate matter (PM) occurring in these built environments can potentially be comparable to or even exceed that occurring outdoors. Therefore, it is critical to understand the sources, dynamics, and fate of PM in built environments.

Cooking, Bleach Cleaning, and Air Conditioning Strongly Impact Levels of HONO in a House.

The relative importance of common activities on indoor nitrous acid (HONO) mixing ratios was explored during high time resolution, month-long measurements by chemical ionization mass spectrometry in a previously unoccupied house. Indoor HONO varied from 0.2 to 84.

Indoor emissions of total and fluorescent supermicron particles during HOMEChem.

Inhalation of particulate matter is associated with adverse health outcomes. The fluorescent portion of supermicron particulate matter has been used as a proxy for bioaerosols. The sources and emission rates of fluorescent particles in residential environments are not well-understood.

Surface reservoirs dominate dynamic gas-surface partitioning of many indoor air constituents.

Human health is affected by indoor air quality. One distinctive aspect of the indoor environment is its very large surface area that acts as a poorly characterized sink and source of gas-phase chemicals. In this work, air-surface interactions of 19 common indoor air contaminants with diverse properties and sources were monitored in a house using fast-response, on-line mass spectrometric and spectroscopic methods.

Home chemical and microbial transitions across urbanization.

Urbanization represents a profound shift in human behaviour, and has considerable cultural and health-associated consequences. Here, we investigate chemical and microbial characteristics of houses and their human occupants across an urbanization gradient in the Amazon rainforest, from a remote Peruvian Amerindian village to the Brazilian city of Manaus. Urbanization was found to be associated with reduced microbial outdoor exposure, increased contact with housing materials, antimicrobials and cleaning products, and increased exposure to chemical diversity.

Observations and Contributions of Real-Time Indoor Ammonia Concentrations during HOMEChem.

Although ammonia (NH) is usually found at outdoor concentrations of 1-5 ppb, indoor ammonia concentrations can be much higher. Indoor ammonia is strongly emitted from cleaning products, tobacco smoke, building materials, and humans. Because of ammonia's high reactivity, solubility in water, and tendency to sorb to a variety of surfaces, it is difficult to measure, and thus a comprehensive evaluation of indoor ammonia concentrations remains an understudied topic.

Dynamic interaction of a downward plane jet and a cough jet with respect to particle transmission: An analytical and experimental study.

A cough jet can travel beyond the breathing zone of the source person, and thus, infectious viral- and bacterial-laden particles can be transported from the source person to others in close proximity. To reduce the interpersonal transmission of coughed particles, the objective of this study was to analytically and experimentally investigate the performance of downward plane jets with various discharge velocities. Chamber measurements were conducted to examine the interaction between a transient cough jet (discharge velocities of 12 m/sec and 16 m/sec) and a steady downward plane jet (discharge velocities from 1.

Walls talk: Microbial biogeography of homes spanning urbanization.

Westernization has propelled changes in urbanization and architecture, altering our exposure to the outdoor environment from that experienced during most of human evolution. These changes might affect the developmental exposure of infants to bacteria, immune development, and human microbiome diversity. Contemporary urban humans spend most of their time indoors, and little is known about the microbes associated with different designs of the built environment and their interaction with the human immune system.

Infant exposure to emissions of volatile organic compounds from crib mattresses.

Infants spend most of their time sleeping and are likely to be exposed to elevated concentrations of chemicals released from their crib mattresses. Small-scale chamber experiments were conducted to determine the area-specific emission rates (SERs) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a collection of twenty new and used crib mattresses. All mattress samples were found to emit VOCs and the mean values of total VOC (TVOC) SERs were 56 μg/m(2)h at 23 °C and 139 μg/m(2)h at 36 °C.

Occupational exposure to hazardous airborne pollutants: effects of air mixing and source location.

The presence of airborne pollutants in indoor environments has been associated with occupants' discomfort and/or adverse health effects. This study investigates occupational exposure in relation to indoor air mixing and source location relative to a human body. Experimental and computational methods were used to provide information about the pollutant distribution in the vicinity of the human body for different levels of room air mixing.