A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities
Indian cities have some of the poorest air quality globally but volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—many of which adversely affect health—and their indoor sources remain understudied in India. In this pilot study we quantified hundreds of VOCs inside and outside 26 homes in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar,...
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Environments |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/9/7/75 |
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| author | Christina L. Norris Ross Edwards Chinmay Ghoroi James J. Schauer Marilyn Black Michael H. Bergin |
| author_facet | Christina L. Norris Ross Edwards Chinmay Ghoroi James J. Schauer Marilyn Black Michael H. Bergin |
| author_sort | Christina L. Norris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Indian cities have some of the poorest air quality globally but volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—many of which adversely affect health—and their indoor sources remain understudied in India. In this pilot study we quantified hundreds of VOCs inside and outside 26 homes in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in May 2019 and in January 2020. We sampled in the morning and afternoon/evening to capture temporal variability. Total indoor VOCs were measured at higher concentrations in winter (327.0 ± 224.2 µgm<sup>−3</sup>) than summer (150.1 ± 121.0 µgm<sup>−3</sup>) and exceeded those measured outdoors. Using variable reduction techniques, we identified potential sources of compounds (cooking, plastics [with an emphasis on plasticizers], consumer products, siloxanes [as used in the production of consumer products], vehicles). Contributions differed by season and between homes. In May, when temperatures were high, plastics contributed substantially to indoor pollution (mean of 42% contribution to total VOCs) as compared to in January (mean of 4%). Indoor cooking and consumer products contributed on average 29% and 10% to all VOCs indoors in January and 16% and 4% in May. Siloxane sources contributed <4% to any home during either season. Cooking contributed substantially to outdoor VOCs (on average 18% in January and 11% in May) and vehicle-related sources accounted for up to 84% of VOCs in some samples. Overall, results indicate a strong seasonal dependence of indoor VOC concentrations and sources, underscoring the need to better understand factors driving health-harming pollutants inside homes to facilitate exposure reductions. |
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| issn | 2076-3298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:26:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
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| series | Environments |
| spelling | doaj.art-67f0f5e9b39e440e8fa50afbcd5cebf72023-12-03T15:01:27ZengMDPI AGEnvironments2076-32982022-06-01977510.3390/environments9070075A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily ActivitiesChristina L. Norris0Ross Edwards1Chinmay Ghoroi2James J. Schauer3Marilyn Black4Michael H. Bergin5Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, 121 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj 382355, IndiaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USAUnderwriters Laboratories Inc., Chemical Safety, 2211 Newmarket Parkway, Suite 106, Marietta, GA 30067, USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, 121 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708, USAIndian cities have some of the poorest air quality globally but volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—many of which adversely affect health—and their indoor sources remain understudied in India. In this pilot study we quantified hundreds of VOCs inside and outside 26 homes in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in May 2019 and in January 2020. We sampled in the morning and afternoon/evening to capture temporal variability. Total indoor VOCs were measured at higher concentrations in winter (327.0 ± 224.2 µgm<sup>−3</sup>) than summer (150.1 ± 121.0 µgm<sup>−3</sup>) and exceeded those measured outdoors. Using variable reduction techniques, we identified potential sources of compounds (cooking, plastics [with an emphasis on plasticizers], consumer products, siloxanes [as used in the production of consumer products], vehicles). Contributions differed by season and between homes. In May, when temperatures were high, plastics contributed substantially to indoor pollution (mean of 42% contribution to total VOCs) as compared to in January (mean of 4%). Indoor cooking and consumer products contributed on average 29% and 10% to all VOCs indoors in January and 16% and 4% in May. Siloxane sources contributed <4% to any home during either season. Cooking contributed substantially to outdoor VOCs (on average 18% in January and 11% in May) and vehicle-related sources accounted for up to 84% of VOCs in some samples. Overall, results indicate a strong seasonal dependence of indoor VOC concentrations and sources, underscoring the need to better understand factors driving health-harming pollutants inside homes to facilitate exposure reductions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/9/7/75VOCindoor airpollutant sourcenon-negative matrix factorizationhousehold air pollutionvolatile organic compounds |
| spellingShingle | Christina L. Norris Ross Edwards Chinmay Ghoroi James J. Schauer Marilyn Black Michael H. Bergin A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities Environments VOC indoor air pollutant source non-negative matrix factorization household air pollution volatile organic compounds |
| title | A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities |
| title_full | A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities |
| title_fullStr | A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities |
| title_short | A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India in Summer and Winter during Normal Daily Activities |
| title_sort | pilot study to quantify volatile organic compounds and their sources inside and outside homes in urban india in summer and winter during normal daily activities |
| topic | VOC indoor air pollutant source non-negative matrix factorization household air pollution volatile organic compounds |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/9/7/75 |
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