Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Measuring quantity of indoor/outdoor suspended air particle matter in Southern Taiwan

Author(s):

Chih-Hung Huang ¹, Jia-Twu Lee ^{1 *}, Tsai-Fa Yen ²

Recieved Date: 2015-01-20, Accepted Date: 2015-03-30

Abstract:

Many invisible pollutants such as dust and toxic aerosols had released into the atmosphere in southern Taiwan. The air affecting our heart and lung function was named aerosols (particulate matter, PM). As long as the particles inhaled into the lungs, they stayed in the alveoli and were hard to be discharged. Whether they were toxic or non-toxic substances, they might cause a direct or potential harm to the body. When PM size inhaled became smaller, the probability of discharge would be lower. Therefore, it was suggested that people should avoid inhaling them. Moreover, because of the poor quality of the air, it was easy to accumulate dust at home. It might not only cause eyes itchy but more likely physical discomfort and other respiratory diseases, especially carpeted room in the house. Literature had demonstrated that the distribution of PM size was 0.1~10 µm. Only PM10 was considered to have negative impacts on human respiratory system. The quantity of patients would increase accompanied by the concentration of PM2.5. They had a positive and significant correlation. However, fewer studies compared the size and composition of indoor/outdoor space of PM. Responding this problem would benefit practice and academia. Consequently the purpose of this study was to explore the size of PM and its composition in indoor/outdoor spaces; to clarify the difference between the indoor spaces contained carpet and none carpet; and finally some more recommendations would be offered. The research tools were made by Aerotrak Company (9310-02 model) series. PM size detection was to 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 in Desktop Particles Calculator. This study had a total of six groups of samples, respectively, in NPUST campus different locations within the space for the actual number of PM. Each sample for 10 seconds and each sample of 30 times, the interval time was only 3 seconds (as far as possible reduce the impact of the time difference). Six groups of samples were dealt at different time to sample the actual the quantity of PM. Sampling data showed that the average quantity of outdoor PM was accumulated to 447,920; the average quantity of indoor was accumulated to 258,756; and 297,743 was accumulated in an indoor carpeted room. Research results showed that the average quantity of PM outside was larger than the interior space. It was almost to 2 times. Moreover, the average quantity of PM in the carpeted room was much larger than none-carpeted one. As long as PM inhaled into the lungs, the body would directly or potentially be harmed, and when the smaller size of the particle was met, the probability of discharging the particles would be lower. Human should avoid inhaling those particles as possible.

Keywords:

Indoor/outdoor, particulate matter, PM, particle size, the average quantity of PM

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2015
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Category: Environment
Pages: 218-222

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