Investigation of Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations in Schools in Salt Lake City, Utah

Pollutants

Sebastian Hoch¹  Benjamin Fasoli¹  Daniel L. Mendoza¹  Erik T. Crosman²  Tabitha M. Benney³  Corbin Anderson⁴  Shawn A. Gonzales⁴  Ryan Bares⁵ 

[1] Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, 135 S 1460 E, Room 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA;Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Natural Sciences Building 324, Canyon, TX 79016, USA;Department of Political Science, University of Utah, 260 S Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA;Salt Lake County Health Department, Air Quality Bureau, Environmental Health Division 788 East Woodoak Lane, Murray, UT 84107, USA;Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality, 195 N 1950 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, USA;

关键词: air quality;    fine particulate matter;    high schools;    building ventilation;    environmental inequality;    research-grade sensors;   

DOI  :  10.3390/pollutants2010009

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Although there is mounting evidence that suggests that air pollution is impactful to human health and educational outcomes, this is especially problematic in schools with higher air pollution levels. To understand whether all schools in an urban area are exposed to similar outdoor air quality and whether school infrastructure protects children equally indoors, we installed research-grade sensors to observe PM_2.5 concentrations in indoor and outdoor settings to understand how unequal exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution impacts indoor air quality among high- and low-income schools in Salt Lake City, Utah. These data and resulting analysis show that poor air quality may impact school settings and the potential implications with respect to environmental inequality. Based on this approach, we found that during atmospheric inversions and dust events, there was a lag ranging between 35 and 73 min for the outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations to follow a similar temporal pattern as the indoor PM_2.5. This lag has policy and health implications and may help to explain rising concerns regarding reduced educational outcomes related to air pollution in urban areas.

【 授权许可】

Unknown