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Use of personal measurements for ozone exposure assessment: A pilot study

Journal Article · · Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.93101318· OSTI ID:5580165
; ;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (United States)
  2. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

During summer 1991, the authors collected indoor, outdoor, and personal ozone concentration data as well as time-activity data in State College, Pennsylvania. These concentrations were measured for 23 children and their homes using passive ozone samplers. Outdoor concentrations were also measured at a stationary ambient monitoring site. Results from this pilot study demonstrate that fixed-site ambient measurements may not adequately represent individual exposures. Outdoor ozone concentrations showed substantial spatial variation between rural and residential regions. Ignoring this spatial variation by using fixed-site measurements to estimate personal exposures can result in an error as high as 127%. In addition, evidence from the pilot study indicates that ozone concentrations of a single indoor microenvironment may not represent those of other indoor microenvironments. Personal exposures were significantly correlated with both indoor (r=0.55) and outdoor (r=0.41) concentrations measured at home sites. Multiple regression analyses identified indoor ozone concentrations as the most important predictors of personal exposures. However, models based on time-weighted indoor and outdoor concentrations explained only 40% of the variability in personal exposures. When the model included observations for only those participants who spent the majority of their day in or near their homes, an R[sup 2] of 0.76 resulted when estimates were regressed on measured personal exposures. It is evident that contributions from diverse indoor and outdoor microenvironments must be considered to estimate personal ozone exposures accurately.

OSTI ID:
5580165
Journal Information:
Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States) Vol. 101:4; ISSN EVHPAZ; ISSN 0091-6765
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English