An Evaluation of Airborne Particulate Matter, Ambient Temperature, and Relative Humidity at a Northwest Ohio High School

Details

• Personal Author:
  Akbar-Khanzadeh F ; Ames A ; Bourland D ; Doerr A ; Heldt G ; Klender S ; Milz S ; Moreer H ; Scardina J ; Sigler V ; Valigosky M
• Description:
  Objective: The air quality of a local high school in Northwest Ohio was evaluated by measuring airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations, ultrafine particle counts (UFPs), and levels of ambient temperature and relative humidity at four indoor locations (classroom, cafeteria, gym, and front hall) and outdoors throughout a 15-week period. The objectives were to determine the levels of the air quality parameters and to evaluate the relationships of measured air quality parameters between sampling locations and class periods. Methods: Integrated sampling was performed from January through June of 2013, typically on Mondays and Thursdays, to obtain 5-minute averages of each air quality parameter. Each indoor location was sampled during three of the 15 weeks for a total of six days while school was in session and one day while school was not in session. Outdoor sampling was done during four days while school was in session and one day while school was not in session. Results: The indoor mean(standard deviation) of air quality parameters during the school day over the entire study were 8.2(5.9) ug/m3 for PM1, 8.3(6.0) ug/m3 for PM2.5, 8.6(6.1) ug/m3 for PM4, 11(8.5) ug/m3 for PM10, 170(17) ug/m3 for PM-Total, 3940(5697) count/cc for UFPs, 72.8(2.1)F for ambient temperature, and 26.2(12.6) percent for relative humidity. The classroom had the highest mean particle concentration (ug/m3) (11 PM1, 11 PM2.5, 12 PM4, 15 PM10, 22 PM-Total), while the gym had the lowest (ug/m3) (6.0 PM1, 5.7 PM2.5, 5.8 PM4, 6.4 PM10, 9.5 PM-Total). The cafeteria had the highest mean UFPs (5469 count/cc) while the gym had the lowest (1749 count/cc). Ambient temperature was highest in the front hall (74.3F) and lowest in the gym (71.2F), while relative humidity was highest in the gym (32.4 percent) and lowest in the front hall (18.9 percent). Conclusions: The particulate concentrations and the UFP counts were low compared to recommended criteria. However, the levels of relative humidity were, on average, below the recommended minimum level of 30 percent. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Air Pollution, Indoor Humidity Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particulates Air Quality Measurement IAQ Indoor Air Quality Indoor Environments Thermal Properties
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054445
• Citation:
  AIHce 2014: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 31 - June 5, 2014, San Antonio, Texas. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2014 Jun; :152
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2014: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 31 - June 5, 2014, San Antonio, Texas
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6354c26de44100f9ed02686ffd8f8181f68feaf7beed62b0ba16db72c89a87c6184cf041f80847b9bd6f9d0d3a3d265056ef26c47713744480235afe66f98373
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217011/cdc_217011_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 327.90 KB ]