Chemical characterization of PM10 and PBAPs determination in indoor academic environments

It is well known that more than 80% of our time is spent in enclosed areas, including private homes, schools and universities, offices, transports and meeting places [1-2]. Nevertheless, the indoor levels of most health-related air contaminants are not regulated by any legislation and the mechanisms causing the health effects related to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) are far from being understood. In the case of particulate matter (PM), health effects related to PM exposure may strongly depend also on its chemical composition; for this reason, besides the determination of the mass concentration, is also important to investigate the chemical composition of inhaled particles. The present study aims at giving the main results of an experimental study carried out in several academic environments, ranging from small laboratories to very wide classrooms. The objective of this work was to evaluate the mass concentration and chemical composition of indoor atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) and to investigate the role of the presence/absence of the students, the volume of the classroom, the height from the ground and the distance from outdoor sources in the definition of indoor air quality (IAQ). Furthermore, the morphological characteristics and mass contribution of Primary Biological Aerosol Particles (PBAPs) to PM10 and organic carbon concentrations were also evaluated by applying a simple and comprehensive method for the detection and the quantification of atmospheric bioaerosol.