Nitrogen dioxide inside and outside 137 homes and implications for ambient air quality standards and health effects research

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00109a008· OSTI ID:5022434

Spengler, J D ^[1]; Duffy, C P; Letz, R; Tibbitts, T W; Ferris, Jr, B G

---

1. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA

Week-long integrated nitrogen dioxide (NO/sub 2/) measurements were made by using diffusion tube samplers inside and outside 137 homes in Portage, WI, over a 1-year period. The annual mean ambient NO/sub 2/ concentrations in this rural community were 10-15 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/. NO/sub 2/ levels inside the kitchens of 112 homes with gas stoves averaged about 50 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ higher, and bedroom levels were about 30 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ higher, than outdoor levels. Ten percent of the gas-cooking homes had annual average kitchen NO/sub 2/ levels higher than the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 100 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/. NO/sub 2/ levels inside kitchens of 25 homes with electric stoves were about two-thirds outdoor levels, while corresponding bedroom levels were one-half outdoor levels. Distinct seasonal patterns (higher indoor levels in winter, lower in summer) consistent with changes in normal air-exchange rates were evident in gas-cooking homes. The large variation of NO/sub 2/ concentrations among homes, likely due to differences in stove use, emission rates, and air-exchange rates, limits the development of prediction models. In addition, this variation would reduce the power of epidemiological studies of respiratory health, which use ambient NO/sub 2/ concentration levels, a simple dichotomous description of stove type and two categories of home cooking fuel to describe exposure.

• OSTI ID: 5022434
• Journal Information: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 17:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
03 NATURAL GAS
HOUSEHOLDS
AIR QUALITY
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
MONITORING
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
GAS APPLIANCES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
RURAL AREAS
STOVES
WISCONSIN
AIR POLLUTION
APPLIANCES
CHALCOGENIDES
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FEDERAL REGION V
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
USA
VARIATIONS
550200* - Biochemistry
030500 - Natural Gas- Health & Safety