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Environ Sci Technol

Title:		"Comparison of personal, indoor, and outdoor exposures to hazardous air pollutants in three urban communities"
Author(s):		Sexton K; Adgate JL; Ramachandran G; Pratt GC; Mongin SJ; Stock TH; Morandi MT;
Address:		"Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. ksexton@utb.edu"
Journal Title:		Environ Sci Technol
Year:		2004
Volume:		38
Issue:		2
Page Number:		423 - 430
DOI:		10.1021/es030319u
ISSN/ISBN:		0013-936X (Print) 0013-936X (Linking)
Abstract:		"Two-day average concentrations of 15 individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured concurrently in (a) ambient air in three urban neighborhoods, (b) air inside residences of participants, and (c) personal air near the breathing zone of 71 healthy, nonsmoking adults. The outdoor (O), indoor (I), and personal (P) samples were collected in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area over three seasons (spring, summer, and fall) in 1999 using charcoal-based passive air samplers (3M model 3500 organic vapor monitors). A hierarchical, mixed-effects statistical model was used to estimate the mutually adjusted effects of monitor location, community, and season while accounting for within-subject and within-time-index (monitoring period) correlation. Outdoor VOC concentrations were relatively low compared to many other urban areas, and only minor seasonal differences were observed. A consistent pattern of P > I > O was observed across both communities and seasons for 13 of 15 individual VOCs (exceptions were carbon tetrachloride and chloroform). Results indicate that ambient VOC measurements at central monitoring sites can seriously underestimate actual exposures for urban residents, even when the outdoor measurements are taken in their own neighborhoods"
Keywords:		"Air Pollutants/*analysis Air Pollution, Indoor/*analysis Cities Humans Organic Chemicals/analysis Reproducibility of Results Risk Assessment Seasons Urban Population Volatilization;"
Notes:		"MedlineSexton, Ken Adgate, John L Ramachandran, Gurumurthy Pratt, Gregory C Mongin, Steven J Stock, Thomas H Morandi, Maria T eng Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2004/01/31 Environ Sci Technol. 2004 Jan 15; 38(2):423-30. doi: 10.1021/es030319u"