Outdoor and indoor ozone level – A potential impact on human health
Abstract
Background/Aim. Air pollution outside and inside is still one of the most sensitive issues. The aim of this study was to assess the ozone level in ambient air and working premises in terms of its possible influence on human health. Methods. The study was based on the results obtained in Lithuanian conditions. Continuous ozone measurement data from the rural monitoring station in Preila over the period 1995–2011 were analyzed. More than 180,000 hourly values were examined according to the requirements in the Directive 2008/50/EC. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union indicators the Sum of Ozone Means Over 35 ppb (SOMO 35), the maximum daily 8-hour mean concentration of ozone higher than 100 and 120 μg/m3 were estimated. Indoor ozone concentrations in copying and welding rooms were evaluated. The ozone concentration was measured with the ozone analyzer O341M. Results. The frequency distribution of ozone hourly concentrations at the Preila station showed that less than 1% of the data were higher than 120 μg/m3 and 6% of them higher than 100 μg/m3, that could have the adverse effect on human health, during 1995–2011. The investigations made in working premises showed that near a copying machine the ozone concentration can reach 330 μg/m3, however in the room, i.e. 0.5 m from the machine, the average ozone concentration during automatic copying was 165 μg/m³ and during manual copying it was 50 μg/m³. Measurements in a welding room showed that the ozone concentration was in the range of 380–1,850 μg/m3 at the distance of 25 cm from the electrode and at the distance of 1 m from the source the ozone concentration decreased 2.5 times. Conclusion. The danger of the ambient ozone level to human health practically was not observed in Lithuanian conditions. However, almost 6% of the data exceed the new WHO guideline of 100 μg/m3 during the measurement time. Indoor ozone during welding reached a higher level than during copying that can cause human health problems.
References
Akimoto H. Global air quality and pollution. Science 2003; 302(5651): 1716−9.
European Environment Agency (EEA). Air pollution by ozone across Europe during summer 2010. Overview of exceedances of EC ozone threshold values for April-September 2010. [cited 2011 Jun 15]. Available from: www.eea.europa.eu/publications/air-pollution-by-ozone-across
Bell ML, McDermott A, Zeger SL, Samet JM, Dominici F. Ozone and short-term mortality in 95 US urban communities, 1987-2000. JAMA 2004; 292(19): 2372−8.
World Health Organization (WHO). Air quality guidelines. Global update 2005. Particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. 2006. [cited 2006 May 20]. Available from: www.euro.who.int/Document/E90038.pdf
Carslaw N, Langer S, Wolkoff P. Where is the link between reac-tive indoor air chemistry and health effects. Atmosphcer Envi-ron 2009; 43(24): 33808−9.
Weschler CJ. Ozone’s Impact on Public Health: Contributions from Indoor Exposures to Ozone and Products of Ozone-Initiated Chemistry. Environ Health Perspect 2006; 114(10): 1489−96.
Pandrangi LC, Morrison GC. Ozone interactions with human hair: ozone uptake rates and product formation. Atmospher Environ 2008; 42(20): 5079−89.
Valuntaitaitė V, Girgždienė R. Investigatio of ozone emission and dispersion from photocopying machines. J Environ Eng Landsc Manage 2007; 15(2): 61−7.
Valuntaitaitė V, Chadyšienė R, Girgždienė R, Girgždys A. Variation of ozone concentration and UV radiation intensity during welding process. The 7th International Conference. Environ-mental engineering; Vilnius, Lithuania; 2008 May 22−23; Vil-nius: Technica; 2008. p. 448−53.
European Environment Agency (EEA). Tropospheric Ozone in EU - The consolidated report. Health effects of exposure to ozone. Topic report 2010 [cited 2010 January 8]. Available from: www.eea.europa.eu/publications/TOP08-98/page010.html
Girgzdiene R, Bycenkiene S, Girgzdys A. Variations and trends of ground-level ozone and AOT40 in the rural areas of Lithuania. Environ Monit Assess 2007; 127(1−3): 327−35.
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO). Health risks of ozone from long-range transboundary air pollution 2008. [cited 2008 May 5]. Available from: www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/78647/E91843.pdf
Weschler CJ. Ozone in indoor environments: concentration and chemistry. Indoor Air 2000; 10(4): 269−88.
Kowalska M, Zajusz-Zubek E. Occupational exposure to ozone in workers using photocopiers and printers. Med Pr 2010; 61(5): 549−51. (Polish)
Zhou JF, Chen WW, Tong GZ. Ozone emitted during copying process--a potential cause of pathological oxidative stress and potential oxidative damage in the bodies of operators. Biomed Environ Sci 2003; 16(2): 95−104.
Allen RJ, Wadden RA, Ross ED. Characterization of potential indoor sourcez of ozone. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1978;39(6):466–71