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Relationship between indoor, outdoor, and personal fine particle concentrations for individuals with COPD and predictors of indoor-outdoor ratio in Mexico city

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 18, pages 109–115 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Personal exposure and indoor and outdoor exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 of 38 individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was characterized from February through November 2000. All participants lived in Mexico City and were selected based on their area of residence southeast (n=15), downtown (n=15), and southwest (n=8). Participants were monitored at home using personal PM2.5 monitoring devices. Indoor and outdoor levels of PM10 and PM2.5 were measured using MiniVol samplers. Concurrent individual exposure measurements, indoor and outdoor levels of PM2.5, which averaged 38.4 (SD 21.4), 30.6 (SD 15.8), and 30.5 μg/m3 (SD 19.4), respectively. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations explained 40% of the variability of personal exposure. In addition, the factors that most affected personal exposure were regular indoor contact with animals, mold, cooking activities, and aerosol use, indicating that internal sources may largely affect individual exposure.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT), Grant number 212270-5-29198-M, and by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Grant number HDP/HDR/HEP/FEL/MEX/1496D. Filter analysis was kindly carried out by Centro Nacional de Investigacion y Capacitacion Ambiental (CENICA). We are indebted to the Mexico City General Direction for Environmental Monitoring and for all the data given to us from the automatic network system (RAMA) reading service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Centro de Investigaciones en Salud poblacional, Cuernavaca Mor., México

    Marlene Cortez-Lugo, Hortensia Moreno-Macias, Mauricio Hernández-Ávila & Isabelle Romieu

  2. American British Cowdray Medical Center I.A.P., Centro de Investigación y Educación BRIMEX III, D.F., México

    Marlene Cortez-Lugo

  3. Emory University School of Medicine, Energy & Environmental Engineering Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Fernando Holguin-Molina

  4. Desert Research Institute, Energy & Environmental Engineering Center, Reno, Nevada, USA

    Judith C Chow & John G Watson

  5. Centro Nacional de Investigación y Capacitación Ambiental, dirección de Investigación en Monitoreo Atmosférico y caracterización analítica de contaminantes, D.F., México

    Victor Gutiérrez-Avedoy & Francisco Mandujano

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  1. Marlene Cortez-Lugo
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Correspondence to Isabelle Romieu.

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Cortez-Lugo, M., Moreno-Macias, H., Holguin-Molina, F. et al. Relationship between indoor, outdoor, and personal fine particle concentrations for individuals with COPD and predictors of indoor-outdoor ratio in Mexico city. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 18, 109–115 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500557

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500557

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