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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Five-stage Sioutas impactors were used to collect particulate matter (PM) in 4 classrooms and the playground of a
school with various educational levels near the largest industrial chemical complex in Portugal. Monitoring was
carried out over a total period of 8 weeks split equally between winter and spring. Samples were analysed for its
elemental composition by PIXE. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms in schoolchildren was assessed by
applying the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardised questionnaire. The
mass concentration of quasi-ultrafine particles (PM0.25) was higher in winter, but lower than those reported in
other studies. Elements accounted for 15.3–17.3 % and 25.6–34.1 % of the total PM10 mass in winter and spring,
respectively. Elements such as K, S, Zn, Cu and Br presented a dominant mode in PM0.25, while Al, Mg, Ca, Fe and
Si peaked at 2.5 μm. Throughout the campaign, Cl was the main component of the mass of PM greater than 0.5
μm in the schoolyard, while in classrooms Ca constituted the most abundant element of PM2.5-10. The results
indicate that soil dust, cleaning products, biomass burning, traffic, the chemical complex and railway affected
PM levels at the school. Taking paracetamol and living near roads with intense traffic of heavy vehicles were
found to be statistically significant predictors of asthma symptoms, while the frequent consumption of antibiotics
and children exposure to parental smoking during the first year of their life were found to increase the odds of
developing symptoms of rhinitis.
Description
Keywords
Particle size distributions Elemental concentrations Schoolchildren ISAAC Asthma and rhinitis
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Charres, Isabella; Lucarelli, Franco; Feliciano, Manuel; Furst, Leonardo; Alves, Célia (2024). Seasonal variations of size-classified aerosol-bound elements in school environments and risk factors for the prevalence of atopic diseases among pupils. Building and Environment. ISSN 0360-1323. 265, p. 1-16
Publisher
Elsevier