Characteristics and Relationships between Indoor and Outdoor PM2.5 in Beijing: A Residential Apartment Case Study

Yingjie Han; Xinghua Li; Tianle Zhu; Dong Lv; Ying Chen; Li’an Hou; Yinping Zhang; Mingzhong Ren

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2015.12.0682

Characteristics and Relationships between Indoor and Outdoor PM2.5 in Beijing: A Residential Apartment Case Study

Urban Air Quality

Yingjie Han¹, Xinghua Li ¹, Tianle Zhu ¹, Dong Lv¹, Ying Chen¹, Li’an Hou², Yinping Zhang³, Mingzhong Ren⁴

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¹School of Space and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
²Engineering Design and Research Institute of the Second Artillery Corps, Beijing 100011, China
³Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
⁴South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou 510655, China

Received: December 13, 2015
Revised: February 20, 2016
Accepted: February 24, 2016
Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2015.12.0682

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Cite this article:
Han, Y., Li, X., Zhu, T., Lv, D., Chen, Y., Hou, L., Zhang, Y. and Ren, M. (2016). Characteristics and Relationships between Indoor and Outdoor PM2.5 in Beijing: A Residential Apartment Case Study. Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 16: 2386-2395. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2015.12.0682

HIGHLIGHTS

This paper reports indoor/outdoor levels of PM_2.5 and associated species in Beijing.
41% of indoor daily means exceeded the China National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Indoor PM_2.5 and most associated species were mainly from outdoor sources.
Indoor PAEs and HCB in PM_2.5 were greatly influenced by indoor sources.

ABSTRACT

In order to understand the characteristics and relationships between indoor and outdoor PM_2.5 during the heating period of 2014 in Beijing, the investigation of PM_2.5 and associated species including organic and elemental carbon (OC/EC), water soluble ions, metal elements and trace organic matter (OM) were undertaken at a residential apartment. The average PM_2.5 concentration was 55.2 ± 47.3 µg m^–3 for indoor and 100.4 ± 82.1 µg m^–3 for outdoor, and the indoor PM_2.5 was found to be mainly from outdoors. OM and (NH₄)₂SO₄ were the dominated components of PM_2.5, accounted for 71.5% in indoor PM_2.5 and 52.4% in outdoor PM_2.5, followed by fine soil and NH₄NO₃ (23.7% and 27.9%). The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentration was 187.3 ng m^–3 and 387.0 ng m^–3, and the phthalic acid esters (PAEs) concentration reached 1054.2 ng m^–3 and 515.3 ng m^–3, for indoor and outdoor, respectively. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) only existed indoors (5.5 ng m^–3). HCB and most PAEs in indoor PM_2.5 were dominated by indoor sources whereas other species were greatly influenced by outdoor sources especially during the pollution period.