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Title: Measurement of personal exposure to NO[sub 2] in Sweden--evaluation of a passive sampler

Journal Article · · Journal of Esposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology; (United States)
OSTI ID:6943953
; ;  [1]
  1. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden)

A passive (filter badge) sampler for personal NO2 exposure measurements was tested in a laboratory setting (exposure chamber), and in the field--outdoors, during periods of high relative humidity (mean 85%) and low temperature (-5 to +10[degrees]C), and indoors, in an ice-hockey arena--using chemiluminescence as a reference method. Parallel measurements of NO2 in the exposure chamber (concentration range 100-825 micrograms NO2/m[sup 3]) for 15, 30, and 60 min sampling periods, showed good agreement between methods. The concentrations obtained with passive samplers were 78 to 122% (mean 94%, SD [plus minus]11, N = 39) of those obtained with chemiluminescence, using a sampling rate (K'OG) of 0.14 cm/sec. The detection limits were 320, 160, and 80 micrograms NO2/m[sup 3] for 15, 30, and 60 minutes of sampling, respectively. Outdoors (concentration range 15-102 micrograms NO2/m[sup 3], concentrations obtained with passive samplers were consistently lower than concentrations obtained with chemiluminescence (mean 79%, SD [plus minus]9.3%, range 61-95%, N = 25), using the K'OG of 0.14 of cm/sec (Passive samplerNO2 = 0.67ChemilumNO2 + 4.5). A better agreement between concentrations obtained with passive samplers and chemiluminescence was achieved with a K'OG of 0.11 cm/sec (mean 100%, SD [plus minus]12%, range 78-121%, Passive samplerNO2 = 0.84 ChemilumNO2 + 6.4). Indoors (concentration range 210-3895 micrograms NO2/m[sup 3]), concentrations obtained with passive samplers were 70 to 113% (mean 90%, SD [plus minus]16%) of the concentrations obtained with chemiluminescence (Passive samplerNO2 = 1.00ChemilumNO2 - 93) using a K'OG of 0.10 cm/sec. Duplicate samples collected indoors N = 18) and outdoors (N = 31) showed a variability (coefficient of variation, or CV) of less than 6%. It was concluded that the passive sampler is useful for measuring personal daily exposure as well as peak exposure. It is necessary to determine sampling rates for various environmental conditions.

OSTI ID:
6943953
Journal Information:
Journal of Esposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology; (United States), Vol. 2:3; ISSN 1053-4245
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English