Characterization of organic compounds collected during southeastern aerosol and visibility study: water-soluble organic species.

As part of the Southeastern Aerosol and Visibility Study (SEAVS), water-soluble organic species (WSOS) in fine aerosols collected from July 15 to August 25, 1995, at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee (USA), were chemically classified into seven groups, with concentrations ranging from around 1 to >200 ng/m3. Dicarboxylic acids represented the dominant identified compound class, and succinic acid was the most abundant dicarboxylic acid. The trends in data suggest that most WSOS collected in the SEAVS samples were mainly generated from secondary photochemical reactions, especially during the first (cleaner) half of the sampling campaign.

Outdoor versus indoor contributions to indoor particulate matter (PM) determined by mass balance methods.

This study compares an indoor-outdoor air-exchange mass balance model (IO model) with a chemical mass balance (CMB) model. The models were used to determine the contribution of outdoor sources and indoor resuspension activities to indoor particulate matter (PM) concentrations. Simultaneous indoor and outdoor measurements of PM concentration, chemical composition, and air-exchange rate were made for five consecutive days at a single-family residence using particle counters, nephelometers, and filter samples of integrated PM with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 2.

Elevated personal exposure to particulate matter from human activities in a residence.

Continuous laser particle counters collocated with time-integrated filter samplers were used to measure personal, indoor, and outdoor particulate matter (PM) concentrations for a variety of prescribed human activities during a 5-day experimental period in a home in Redwood City, CA, USA. The mean daytime personal exposures to PM(2.5) and PM(5) during prescribed activities were 6 and 17 times, respectively, as high as the pre-activity indoor background concentration.

Source strengths for indoor human activities that resuspend particulate matter.

A mathematical model was applied to continuous indoor and outdoor particulate matter (PM) measurements to estimate source strengths for a variety of prescribed human activities that resuspend house dust in the home. Activities included folding blankets, folding clothes, dry dusting, making a bed, dancing on a rug, dancing on a wood floor, vacuuming, and walking around and sitting on upholstered furniture. Although most of the resuspended particle mass from these activities was larger than 5 microm in diameter, the resuspension of PM2.