Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants

Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 1991-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309042844

Most people in the United States spend far more time indoors than outdoors. Yet, many air pollution regulations and risk assessments focus on outdoor air. These often overlook contact with harmful contaminants that may be at their most dangerous concentrations indoors. A new book from the National Research Council explores the need for strategies to address indoor and outdoor exposures and examines the methods and tools available for finding out where and when significant exposures occur. The volume includes: A conceptual framework and common terminology that investigators from different disciplines can use to make more accurate assessments of human exposure to airborne contaminants. An update of important developments in assessing exposure to airborne contaminants: ambient air sampling and physical chemical measurements, biological markers, questionnaires, time-activity diaries, and modeling. A series of examples of how exposure assessments have been applied-properly and improperly-to public health issues and how the committee's suggested framework can be brought into practice. This volume will provide important insights to improve risk assessment, risk management, pollution control, and regulatory programs.

Human Exposure to Pollutants via Dermal Absorption and Inhalation

Human Exposure to Pollutants via Dermal Absorption and Inhalation
Author: Mihalis Lazaridis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2010-03-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9048186633

Estimates of the air pollution health impact play a crucial role in environmental protection. These estimates require accurate data on the pollutant exposure and dose to the population as well as the dose–response relationships to calculate the health impact. From an air quality manager’s perspective there is concern about the validity and accuracy of these calculations. There is a need for information and possible ways to adjust the assessment. One important topic for air quality managers is to understand the relative cont- bution of sources to the total exposure. These sources may be coming from both different outdoor sources from sectors such as transport, industry and energy ind- tries, and from a number of indoor sources, such as heating, ventilation and indoor activities as well as out-gassing from building material and furniture. Indoor air quality is now drawing the attention of policy makers. The basic right to, and importance of, healthy indoor air was emphasized by the World Health Organization as early as 2000 and several countries have described target conc- trations for various pollutants. The WHO Air Quality Guidelines 2005 rec- mended the development of specific guidelines for indoor air quality and these are expected to be published soon. Indoor air pollutants have not been as extensively monitored as outdoor air pollutants and the evidence base for contributions to health effects needs to be strengthened.

Organic pollutants in indoor dust: method development, site-specific monitoring and human exposure

Organic pollutants in indoor dust: method development, site-specific monitoring and human exposure
Author: Miguel Velázquez Gómez
Publisher:
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2019
Genre:
ISBN:

Dust has been used as a surrogate of indoor organic contamination for several decades. Their concerns for human health include from sensitization effects such as allergies to toxic effects derived from those organic pollutants adsorbed to the dust particles, such as neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption and carcinogenic responses. Given that nowadays people spend more than a 90% of their time indoors, the exposure to this cocktail of pollutants is a challenge that must be handled.The present PhD thesis project develop instrumental methods for the quantitative analysis of the levels of organic pollutants using indoor dust as matrix and evaluate human exposure and risk by using the so-obtained empirical data and theoretical calculations.To do so, a multi-residue extraction method based on solid-liquid and ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and a gas chromatography method coupled to tandem mass spectrometry were set up (article 1). This allowed to detected almost 100% of the studied compounds in different indoor ambients along Barcelona (public and private environments, article 2) and the Ecuadorian Amazonia (dwellings surrounding petrochemical complexes, article 3).The encountered levels of the organic pollutants draw a big picture about the legacy and current uses of such chemical compounds. They are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), polychlorinated biphenils (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCs), phthalates, alkylphenols (APs), bisphenol A (BPA) and nicotine, all of them selected on a basis of their toxic effects and widespread use worldwide.Article 4 focuses on the development of a novel method to assess exposure to organic pollutants through inhalation. It is a non-invasive technique that consists on nasal lavages of the inner part of the nose. Thus, intake of pollutants is evaluated and a common pattern between occurrence in dust and nasal lavages can be easily observed, which suggests a strong influence of dust contamination over the human exposure to these organic pollutants.As a whole, the present PhD thesis outlines a connection among environmental analytical chemistry and other disciplines such as exposure science or environmental epidemiology. It attempts to serve as a tool to other knowledge areas and social groups to improve the understanding of the accumulation of organic pollutants in indoor dust and the related human exposure and disease.

WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality

WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality
Author:
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2010
Genre: House & Home
ISBN:

This book presents WHO guidelines for the protection of public health from risks due to a number of chemicals commonly present in indoor air. The substances considered in this review, i.e. benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, naphthalene, nitrogen dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (especially benzo[a]pyrene), radon, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, have indoor sources, are known in respect of their hazardousness to health and are often found indoors in concentrations of health concern. The guidelines are targeted at public health professionals involved in preventing health risks of environmental exposures, as well as specialists and authorities involved in the design and use of buildings, indoor materials and products. They provide a scientific basis for legally enforceable standards.