Save
Email
Print
ShareDec. 23, 2009 — The air in some school classrooms may contain higher levels of extremely small particles of pollutants -- easily inhaled deep into the lungs -- than polluted outdoor air, scientists in Australia and Germany are reporting in an article in Environmental Science & Technology.
Lidia Morawska and colleagues note increasing concern in recent years over the health effects of airborne ultrafine particles. Evidence suggests that they can be toxic when inhaled into the lungs. Much of the scientific research, however, has focused on outdoor sources of these invisible particles, particularly vehicle emissions. Little research has been done, however, on indoor sources, and even less on ultrafine particles in school classrooms.
In an effort to fill those gaps in knowledge, the scientists studied levels of ultrafine particles in 3 elementary school classrooms in Brisbane, Australia. They found that on numerous occasions ultrafine particle levels in the classrooms were significantly higher than outdoors. The highest levels occurred during art activities such as gluing, painting and drawing when indoor levels were several times higher than outdoor levels. There also were significant increases in ultrafine particle levels when detergents were used for cleaning.
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Morawska et al. Ultrafine Particles in Indoor Air of a School: Possible Role of Secondary Organic Aerosols. Environmental Science & Technology, 2009; 43 (24): 9103 DOI: 10.1021/es902471a
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
more 
