Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

The influence of human and environmental exposure factors on personal NO2 exposures

Abstract

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA) Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) deployed a total of over 2000 nitrogen dioxide, NO2, passive monitors during 3 years of field data collections. These 24-h based personal, residential outdoor and community-based measurements allowed for the investigation of NO2 spatial, temporal, human and environmental factors. The relationships between personal exposures to NO2 and the factors that influence the relationship with community-based measurements were of interest. Survey data from 136 participants were integrated with exposure findings to allow for mixed model effect analyses. Ultimately, 50 individual factors were selected for examination. NO2 analyses revealed that season, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and residential gas appliances were strong influencing factors. Only modest associations between community-based measures of nitrogen dioxide and personal exposures impacted by various exposure factors for heating (r=0.44) or non-heating seasons (r=0.34) were observed, indicating that use of ambient-based monitoring as a surrogate of personal exposure might result in sizeable exposure misclassification.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alm S., Mukala K., Pasanen P., Tiittanen P., Ruuskanen J., Tuomisto J., and Jantunen M. Personal NO2 exposures in preschool children in Helsinki. J Expos Anal Environ Epidemiol (1998): 8: 79–1000.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baxter L., Barzyck T., Vette A., Croghan C., and Williams R. Contributions of diesel truck emissions to indoor elemental carbon concentrations in homes proximate to the Ambassador Bridge. Atmos Environ (2008): 42: 9080–9086.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brauer M., Koutrakis P., and Spengler J. Personal exposures to acid aerosols and gases. Environ Sci Tech (1989): 23: 1408–1412.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brook R., Bard R., Burnett R., Shin H., Vette A., Croghan C., Stevens C., Phillips M., and Williams R. The associations between daily community and personal fine particulate matter levels with blood pressure and vascular function among non-smoking adults. Occup Environ Med (2010): 68: 224–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown K., Sarnat J., Suh H., Coull B., and Koutrakis P. Factors influencing relationships between personal and ambient concentrations of gaseous and particulate pollutants. Sci Total Environ (2009): 407: 3754–3765.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clean Air Act P.L. 08-201 (2004) Code of Federal Regulations. Title 42, 24 February 2004.

  • Dietz R., and Cote R. Air infiltration measurements in a home using a convenient perfluorocarbon tracer technique. Aerosol Sci Technol (1982): 8: 419–433.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2008). Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen-Health Criteria (Final Report). US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-08/071.

  • Harrison R., Thornton C., Lawrence R., Mark D., Kinnersley R., and Ayres J. Personal exposure monitoring of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide, including suspectible groups. Occup Environ Med (2002): 59: 671–679.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klepeis N., Nelson W., Ott Robinson P., Tsang A., Switzer P., Behar J., Hern S., and Engelmann W. The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): A resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol (2001): 11 (3): 231–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kousa A., Monn C., Rotko T., Alm S., Oglesby L., and Jantunen M. Personal exposures to NO2 in the EXPOLIS-study: relation to residential indoor, outdoor and workplace concentrations in Basel, Helsinki and Prague. Atmos Environ (2001): 35: 3405–3412.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lawless P., Rodes C., and Ensor D. (2004) Multiwavelength absorbance of filter deposits for determination of environmental tobacco smoke and black carbon. Atmos Environ 38: 3373–3383.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukerjee S., Smith L., Norris G., Morandi M., Gonzales M., Noble C., Neas L., and Ozkaynak H. (2004) Field method comparison between passive air samplers and continuous monitors for VOCs and NO2 in El Paso, Texas. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 54: 307–319.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukerjee S., Oliver K., Seila R., Jacumin H., Croghan C., Daughtrey Jr H., Neas L., and Smith L (2009) Field comparison of passive air samplers with reference monitors for ambient volatile organic compounds and nitrogen dioxide under week-long integrals. J Environ Monitoring 11: 220–227.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nerriere E., Zmirou-Navier D., Blancard O., Momas I., Ladner J., Mouleec Y., Personnaz M., Lameloise P., Delmas V., Target A., and Desqueyroux H. (2005) Can we use fixed air monitors to estimate population long-term exposure to air pollutants? The case of spatial variability in the Genotox ER study. Environ Res 97: 32–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips M., Rodes C., Thornburg J., Shamo F., Whitmore R., Chowdhury D., Allpress J., Vette A., and Williams R. (2010). Optimizing recruitment and retention strategies for the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). RTI Press: Research Triangle Park, NC, doi:10.3768/rtipress.2010.2010mr0021.1011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piechocki-Minguy A., Plaisance H., Schadkowski C., Sagnier I., Saison J., Galloo J., and Guillermo R. (2006) A case study of personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide using a new high sensitive diffusive sampler. Sci Total Environ 366: 55–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodes C., Lawless P., Thornburg J., Croghan C., Vette A., and Williams R. (2010) DEARS particulate matter relationships for personal, indoor, outdoor, and central site settings for a general population cohort. Atmos Environ 44: 1386–1399.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarnat J., Coull B., Schwartz J., Gold D., and Suh H. (2006) Factors affecting the association between ambient concentrations and personal exposures to particles and gases. Environ Health Perspect 114: 649–654.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spengler J., Schwab M., Ryan B., Colome S., Wilson A., Billick I., and Becker E. (1994) Personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide in the Los Angeles Basin. J Air Waste Manage Assoc 44: 39–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Talar S., Su J., Brook J., Burnett R., Loeb M., and Jerrett M. (2009) Predicting personal nitrogen dioxide exposures in an elderly population: integrating residential indoor and outdoor measurements, fixed-site ambient pollution concentrations, modeled pollutant levels, and time-activity patterns. J Toxicol Environ Health 72: 1520–1533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams R., Suggs J., Zweidinger R., Evans G., Creason J., Kwok R., Rodes C., Lawless P., and Sheldon L. (2000) The 1998 Baltimore particulate matter epidemiology-exposure study: part 2. Personal exposure assessment associated with an elderly study population. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 10: 518–532.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams R., Suggs J., Rea A., Leovic K., Vette A., Croghan C., Sheldon L., Rodes Thornburg J., Ejire A., Herbst M., and Williams Sanders Jr. (2003) The Research Triangle Park particulate matter panel study: PM mass concentration relationships. Atmos Environ 37: 5349–5363.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams R. (2005) EPA's Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study. EPA research highlights. AWMA Environ Manager, pp43.

  • Williams R., Rea A., Vette A., Croghan C., Whitaker D., Wilson H., Stevens C., McDow S., Burke J., Fortmann R., Sheldon L., Thornburg J., Phillips M., Lawless P., Rodes C., and Daughtrey H. (2009) The design and field implementation of the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS). J Exp Sci and Environ Epidemiol 19: 643–659.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The US Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development funded and conducted the research described here under contract 68-D-00-012 (RTI International), EP-D-04-068 (Battelle Columbus Laboratory), 68-D-00-206 and EP-05-D-065 (Alion Science and Technology). Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Dennis Williams of Alion Science and Technology was responsible for preparation of sampling media.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ron Williams.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Williams, R., Jones, P., Croghan, C. et al. The influence of human and environmental exposure factors on personal NO2 exposures. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 22, 109–115 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2011.20

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2011.20

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links