The measurements of indoor concentration of nitrogen dioxide using passive sampling

Abstract

The assessment of indoor air quality is important for understanding and preventing the risk of health effects such as respiratory diseases associated with a variety of indoor environmental pollutants and sources of pollution. People spend a lot of their time at homes, where emissions from many indoor pollution sources are released, so the attention to this environmental problem is required. Indoor pollution of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is predominantly pollutant causing the most concern, which relationship with health effects is confirmed in various epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to assess the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in different indoor environments (bedroom, living room and kitchen) using passive samplers. The measurements were conducted in 7 homes in Kaunas city with population above 300 000. The homes were selected in different locations of the city. Passive samplers were exposed to indoor air for 14 days in four seasons to determine average annual concentration of nitrogen dioxide. The results showed that the concentration of nitrogen dioxide ranged from 10.3 to 29.8 μg/m3 in bedroom, from 12.8 to 36.3 μg/m3 in living room, and from 15.8 to 41.5 μg/m3 in kitchen. The lowest average annual concentration of nitrogen dioxide was measured in bedroom, while the highest concentration of NO2 was determined in kitchen.