Seasonal variation of indoor and outdoor air quality of nitrogen dioxide in homes with gas and electric stoves

Dėdelė, Audrius; Miškinytė, Auksė

Seasonal variation of indoor and outdoor air quality of nitrogen dioxide in homes with gas and electric stoves

2016

Dėdelė, Audrius | Miškinytė, Auksė

Indoor air pollution significantly influences personal exposure to air pollution and increases health risks. Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is one of the major air pollutants, and therefore it is important to properly determine indoor concentration of this pollutant considering the fact that people spend most of their time inside. The aim of this study was to assess indoor and outdoor concentration of NO₂ during each season; for this purpose, passive sampling was applied. We analyzed homes with gas and electric stoves to determine and compare the concentrations of NO₂ in kitchen, living room, and bedroom microenvironments (MEs). The accuracy of passive sampling was evaluated by comparing the sampling results with the data from air quality monitoring stations. The highest indoor concentration of NO₂ was observed in kitchen ME during the winter period, the median concentration being 28.4 μg m⁻³. Indoor NO₂ levels in homes with gas stoves were higher than outdoor levels during all seasons. The concentration of NO₂ was by 2.5 times higher in kitchen MEs with gas stoves than with electric stoves. This study showed that the concentration of NO₂ in indoor MEs mainly depended on the stove type used in the kitchen. Homes with gas stoves had significantly higher levels of NO₂ in all indoor MEs compared with homes where electric stoves were used.

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