Güray Doğan

Indoor/outdoor concentrations and elemental composition of PM10/PM2.5 in urban/industrial areas of Kocaeli City, Turkey.

This study presents indoor/outdoor PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations measured during winter and summer in 15 homes in Kocaeli, which is one of the most industrialized areas in Turkey. Indoor and outdoor PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations and elemental composition were determined using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Quantitative information was obtained on mass concentrations and other characteristics such as seasonal variation, indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio, PM2.5/PM10 ratio, correlations and sources. Average indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations were 29.8 and 23.5 microg/m(3) for the summer period, and 24.4 and 21.8 microg/m(3) for the winter period, respectively. Average indoor and outdoor PM10 concentrations were 45.5 and 59.9 microg/m(3) for the summer period, and 56.9 and 102.3 microg/m(3) for the winter period, respectively. A varimax rotated factor analysis (FA) was performed separately on indoor and outdoor datasets in an effort to identify possible heavy metal sources of PM2.5 and PM10 particle fractions. FA of outdoor data produced source categories comprising polluted soil, industry, motor vehicles, and fossil fuel combustion for both PM fractions, while source categories determined for indoor data for both PM2.5 and PM10 comprised industry, polluted soil, motor vehicles, and smoking, with an additional source category of cooking activities detected for the PM2.5 fraction. Practical Implications In buildings close to industrial areas or traffic arteries, outdoor sources may have an important effect on indoor air pollution. Therefore, indoor and outdoor investigations should be conducted simultaneously to assess the relationship between indoor and outdoor pollution. This study presents the simultaneous measurement of PM fractions (PM2.5 and PM10) and their elemental compositions to determine the sources of respirable PM and the heavy metals bound to these particles in indoor air. Factor analysis of indoor data indicated that the contribution of outdoor pollutant sources to indoor pollution was about 70%, making these sources the most significant for indoor heavy metal pollution, wheras other sources of indoor pollution included smoking and cooking activities.

Determination of the personal, indoor and outdoor exposure levels of inorganic gaseous pollutants in different microenvironments in an industrial city

We measured SO2, NO2 and O3 concentrations during the summer and winter in Kocaeli, Turkey. The sampling was carried out indoors and outdoors at homes, schools and offices. Personal samplers were also used to determine personal exposures to these pollutants. High NO2 and SO2 concentrations were observed in outdoor samples collected close to locations characterized by heavy urban traffic. Concentrations of O3, on the other hand, were higher in rural areas around the city due to ozone distillation. For both sampling periods, the concentrations of outdoor SO2 and O3 were higher than for indoor and personal samples; however, the NO2 concentrations were higher in indoor and personal samples, indicating that outdoor sources significantly contribute to indoor SO2 and O3 levels and that indoor NO2 concentrations are primarily modulated by sources within buildings. Seasonal variations in pollutant concentrations showed statistically significant differences. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of NO2 and SO2 measured in the winter were higher than the levels measured in the summer; O3 concentrations, on the other hand, exhibited the opposite trend. Active-to-passive concentration ratios for NO2, SO2 and O3 were 0.99, 1.08 and 1.16, respectively; the corresponding outdoor ratios were 0.95, 0.99 and 1.00.

Ionic composition of aerosols at Northwestern Turkey

In this study, ionic compositions of 350 aerosol samples collected between April 2006 and May 2008 in a rural area at Northwestern Turkey (Black Sea coast of Turkey) were discussed. Ions accounted for approximately 30% of PM mass. Contributions of secondary aerosol species (NO3−, SO42− and NH42+) were higher than the ions with crustal origin. This indicated that sampling station was under the influence of long range transport because there were no industrial emissions around. Concentrations of ions demonstrated a large variation from day to day. Mann–Whitney W test was applied to compare the medians of summer and winter concentrations of ions. All ions, except for NH42+ and SO42−, showed statistically significant difference between seasons with 95% confidence level.