TY - JOUR
T1 - Characterization of particulate matter concentrations and bioaerosol on each floor at a building in Seoul, Korea
AU - Oh, Hyeon Ju
AU - Jeong, Na Na
AU - Chi, Woo Bae
AU - Seo, Ji Hoon
AU - Jun, Si Moon
AU - Sohn, Jong Ryeul
N1 - Funding Information:
This subject is supported by Korea Ministry of Environment as “Converging technology project (2013001650001)” and supported by Korea University Grant (K1508401).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2015/10/1
Y1 - 2015/10/1
N2 - Particulate matter (PM) in buildings are mostly sourced from the transport of outdoor particles through a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and generation of particle within the building itself. We investigated the concentrations and characteristic of indoor and outdoor particles and airborne bacteria concentrations across four floors of a building located in a high-traffic area. In all the floors we studied (first, second, fifth, and eighth), the average concentrations of particles less than 10 μm (PM10) in winter for were higher than those in summer. On average, a seasonal variation in the PM10 level was found for the first, fifth, and eighth floors, such that higher values occurred in the winter season, compared to the summer season. In addition, in winter, the indoor concentrations of PM10 on the first, fifth, and eighth floors were higher than those of the outdoor PM10. The maximum level of airborne bacteria concentration was found in a fifth floor office, which held a private academy school consisting of many students. Results indicated that the airborne bacteria remained at their highest concentration throughout the weekday period and varied by students’ activity. The correlation coefficient (R2) and slope of linear approximation for the concentrations of particulate matter were used to evaluate the relationship between the indoor and outdoor particulate matter. These results can be used to predict both the indoor particle levels and the risk of personal exposure to airborne bacteria.
AB - Particulate matter (PM) in buildings are mostly sourced from the transport of outdoor particles through a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and generation of particle within the building itself. We investigated the concentrations and characteristic of indoor and outdoor particles and airborne bacteria concentrations across four floors of a building located in a high-traffic area. In all the floors we studied (first, second, fifth, and eighth), the average concentrations of particles less than 10 μm (PM10) in winter for were higher than those in summer. On average, a seasonal variation in the PM10 level was found for the first, fifth, and eighth floors, such that higher values occurred in the winter season, compared to the summer season. In addition, in winter, the indoor concentrations of PM10 on the first, fifth, and eighth floors were higher than those of the outdoor PM10. The maximum level of airborne bacteria concentration was found in a fifth floor office, which held a private academy school consisting of many students. Results indicated that the airborne bacteria remained at their highest concentration throughout the weekday period and varied by students’ activity. The correlation coefficient (R2) and slope of linear approximation for the concentrations of particulate matter were used to evaluate the relationship between the indoor and outdoor particulate matter. These results can be used to predict both the indoor particle levels and the risk of personal exposure to airborne bacteria.
KW - Airborne bacteria
KW - Airborne fungi
KW - Correlation coefficient
KW - HVAC system
KW - Particulate matter
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84945460185&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11356-015-4810-2
DO - 10.1007/s11356-015-4810-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 26062466
AN - SCOPUS:84945460185
SN - 0944-1344
VL - 22
SP - 16040
EP - 16050
JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
JF - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
IS - 20
ER -