Particulate Matter Exposure and Dose Relationships Derived from Realistic Exposure Scenarios

Abstract

Day-averaged outdoor aerosol concentrations from fixed ambient air monitoring stations are associated with the daily lung dose of an individual and the consequent health effects in most studies. The applicability of such measurements for dose assessment is evaluated in this study by comparing the estimated total and regional lung doses using the above concentrations, continuous (hourly) or day-averaged, to the dose derived from actual exposure. Dosimetric calculations are performed using experimentally determined indoor and outdoor concentrations during realistic exposure under variant physical exertion in both environments. The results show that the daily dose can be closely estimated by day-averaged data.