Browsing by Author "Pio, Casimiro"
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- Indoor air quality in primary schoolsPublication . Freitas, Maria do Carmo; Canha, Nuno; Martinho, Maria; Almeida-Silva, Marina; Almeida, Susana Marta; Pegas, Priscilla; Alves, Célia; Pio, Casimiro; Trancoso, Maria Ascensão; Sousa, Rita; Mouro, Filomena; Contreiras, TeresaClean air is a basic requirement of life. The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has been the object of several studies due to an increasing concern within the scientific community on the effects of indoor air quality upon health, especially as people tend to spend more time indoors than outdoors. The quality of air inside homes, offices, schools or other private and public buildings is an essential determinant of healthy life and people’s well-being. People can be exposed to contaminants by inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact. In the past, scientists have paid much attention to the study of exposure to outdoor air contaminants, because they have realised the seriousness of outdoor air pollution problems. However, each indoor microenvironment has unique characteristics, determined by the local outdoor air, specific building characteristics and indoor activities. Indeed, hazardous substances are emitted from buildings, construction materials and indoor equipment or due to human activities indoors.
- Road tunnel, roadside, and urban background measurements of aliphatic compounds in size-segregated particulate matterPublication . Oliveira, Cesar; Martins, Natercia; Mirante, Fátima; Caseiro, Alexandre; Pio, Casimiro; Matos, Manuel; Silva, Hugo; Oliveira, Cristina; Camões, FilomenaParticulate matter samples were collected in a road tunnel in Lisbon (PM0.5, PM0.5-1, PM1-2.5, and PM2.5-10) and at two urban locations representing roadside and background stations (PM2.5 and PM2.5-10). Samples were analysed for organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), n-alkanes, n-alkenes, hopanes, some isoprenoid compounds, and steranes. Particulate matter concentrations in the tunnel were 17-31 times higher than at roadside in the vicinity, evidencing an aerosol origin almost exclusively in fresh vehicle emissions. PM0.5 in the tunnel comprised more than 60% and 80% of the total OC and EC mass in PM10, respectively. Concentrations of the different aliphatic groups of compounds in the tunnel were up to 89 times higher than at roadside and 143 times higher than at urban background. Based on the application of hopane-to-OC or hopanes-to-EC ratios obtained in the tunnel, it was found that vehicle emissions are the dominant contributor to carbonaceous particles in the city but do not represent the only source of these triterpenic compounds. Contrary to what has been observed in other studies, the Sigma hopane-to-EC ratios were higher in summer than in winter, suggesting that other factors (e.g. biomass burning, dust resuspension, and different fuels/engine technologies) prevail in relation to the photochemical decay of triterpenoid hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust
- Size distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a roadway tunnel in Lisbon, PortugalPublication . Oliveira, Cesar; Martins, Natércia; Tavares, João; Pio, Casimiro; Cerqueira, Mário; Matos, Manuel; Silva, Hugo; Oliveira, Cristina; Camões, FilomenaAtmospheric aerosols of four aerodynamic size ranges were collected using high volume cascade impactors in an extremely busy roadway tunnel in Lisbon (Portugal). Dust deposited on the tunnel walls and guardrails was also collected. Average particle mass concentrations in the tunnel atmosphere were more than 30 times higher than in the outside urban background air, revealing its origins almost exclusively from fresh vehicle emissions. Most of the aerosol mass was concentrated in submicrometer fractions (65%), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were even more concentrated in the finer particles with an average of 84% of total PAH present in sizes smaller than 0.49 mu m. The most abundant PAH were methylated phenanthrenes, fluoranthene and pyrene. About 46% of the total PAH mass was attributed to lower molecular weight compounds (two and three rings), suggesting a strong influence of diesel vehicle emissions on the production of local particulate PAH. The application of diagnostic ratios confirmed the relevance of this source of PAH in the tunnel ambient air. Deposited dust presented PAH profiles similar to the coarser aerosol size range, in agreement with the predominant origin of coarser aerosol particles from soil dust resuspension and vehicle wear products. (c) 201 1 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Size-segregated chemical composition of aerosol emissions in an urban road tunnel in PortugalPublication . Pio, Casimiro; Mirante, Fátima; Oliveira, Cesar; Matos, Manuel; Caseiro, Alexandre; Oliveira, Cristina; Querol, Xavier; Alves, Célia; Martins, Natércia; Cerqueira, Mário; Camões, Filomena; Silva, Hugo; Plana, FelicianoAn atmospheric aerosol study was performed in 2008 inside an urban road tunnel, in Lisbon, Portugal. Using a high volume impactor, the aerosol was collected into four size fractions (PM0.5, PM0.5-1, PM1-2.5 and PM2.5-10) and analysed for particle mass (PM), organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), soluble inorganic ions and elemental composition. Three main groups of compounds were discriminated in the tunnel aerosol: carbonaceous, soil component and vehicle mechanical wear. Measurements indicate that Cu can be a good tracer for wear emissions of road traffic. Cu levels correlate strongly with Fe, Mn, Sn and Cr, showing a highly linear constant ratio in all size ranges, suggesting a unique origin through sizes. Ratios of Cu with other elements can be used to source apportion the trace elements present in urban atmospheres, mainly on what concerns coarse aerosol particles. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.