Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools
Chemical pollution is an increasing worldwide concern, with children being especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution. This study aimed to characterize the mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in indoor air across residential, educational, and recreational settings...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/12/1471 |
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| author | Marta Fonseca Gabriel Fátima Felgueiras Manuel Feliciano |
| author_facet | Marta Fonseca Gabriel Fátima Felgueiras Manuel Feliciano |
| author_sort | Marta Fonseca Gabriel |
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| description | Chemical pollution is an increasing worldwide concern, with children being especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution. This study aimed to characterize the mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in indoor air across residential, educational, and recreational settings. It analyzed data on VOC concentrations from previous sampling campaigns conducted in households with children, primary schools, and indoor swimming pools (70 buildings, 151 indoor spaces) in northern Portugal. The findings reveal the co-occurrence of 16 VOCs (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, benzene, ethylbenzene, m/o/p-xylenes, styrene, toluene, tetrachloroethylene, 2-ethylhexanol, butanol, acetophenone, ethyl acetate, benzaldehyde, decanal, nonanal, 1-methoxy-2-propanol and limonene) across all three settings, primarily associated to emissions from building materials and detergents. However, distinct patterns were also observed in the VOCs detected across the three indoor environments: in homes, the predominant VOCs were primarily released from cleaning and fragranced products; in schools, from ammonia-based cleaners and occupant activities; and in swimming pools, the predominant airborne chemicals were disinfection by-products resulting from the chemical dynamics associated with water disinfection. Overall, the findings highlight the need for additional research to deepen our understanding of the risks posed by combined exposure to multiple indoor air chemicals for children. These results also underscore the importance of developing and enforcing regulations to monitor VOC levels in environments frequented by children and implementing preventive measures to minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8aa8ae0e04dd490d97917ebe4a326e33 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-8aa8ae0e04dd490d97917ebe4a326e332025-08-20T02:00:54ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332024-12-011512147110.3390/atmos15121471Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming PoolsMarta Fonseca Gabriel0Fátima Felgueiras1Manuel Feliciano2LAETA—INEGI, Associated Laboratory for Energy and Aeronautics—Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, PortugalLAETA—INEGI, Associated Laboratory for Energy and Aeronautics—Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 400, 4200-465 Porto, PortugalCIMO, LA SusTEC, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, PortugalChemical pollution is an increasing worldwide concern, with children being especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution. This study aimed to characterize the mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in indoor air across residential, educational, and recreational settings. It analyzed data on VOC concentrations from previous sampling campaigns conducted in households with children, primary schools, and indoor swimming pools (70 buildings, 151 indoor spaces) in northern Portugal. The findings reveal the co-occurrence of 16 VOCs (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, benzene, ethylbenzene, m/o/p-xylenes, styrene, toluene, tetrachloroethylene, 2-ethylhexanol, butanol, acetophenone, ethyl acetate, benzaldehyde, decanal, nonanal, 1-methoxy-2-propanol and limonene) across all three settings, primarily associated to emissions from building materials and detergents. However, distinct patterns were also observed in the VOCs detected across the three indoor environments: in homes, the predominant VOCs were primarily released from cleaning and fragranced products; in schools, from ammonia-based cleaners and occupant activities; and in swimming pools, the predominant airborne chemicals were disinfection by-products resulting from the chemical dynamics associated with water disinfection. Overall, the findings highlight the need for additional research to deepen our understanding of the risks posed by combined exposure to multiple indoor air chemicals for children. These results also underscore the importance of developing and enforcing regulations to monitor VOC levels in environments frequented by children and implementing preventive measures to minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/12/1471chemical air pollutionchildrencombined exposureindoor environmentvolatile organic compounds |
| spellingShingle | Marta Fonseca Gabriel Fátima Felgueiras Manuel Feliciano Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools Atmosphere chemical air pollution children combined exposure indoor environment volatile organic compounds |
| title | Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools |
| title_full | Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools |
| title_fullStr | Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools |
| title_short | Children’s Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Assessments in Households, Schools, and Indoor Swimming Pools |
| title_sort | children s exposure to volatile organic compounds a comparative analysis of assessments in households schools and indoor swimming pools |
| topic | chemical air pollution children combined exposure indoor environment volatile organic compounds |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/15/12/1471 |
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