Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μ m (PM 2.5 ) is a critical concern in terms of public health and socioeconomic impacts because it can cause various adverse health effects. In particular, patients with allergic diseases are considered a representative vulnerable group and may respond more sensitively to PM 2.5 exposure than the general population. This study used low‐cost air sensor (LCS)–based personal exposure and home indoor and outdoor measurement devices to monitor 81 participants with allergic diseases. Among six classified microenvironments, analysis of time‐activity diaries showed that participants spent the majority of their time in the home. Personal PM 2.5 exposure was highest in the home on both weekdays and weekends (weekdays: 24.83 ± 56.40 μ g/m 3 ; weekends: 25.00 ± 52.75 μ g/m 3 ), showing similar concentrations to those measured by indoor measurement devices in the home environment when study participants were in the home. The indoor to outdoor (I/O) and personal to outdoor (P/O) ratios of PM 2.5 calculated for the home were high (weekdays: 1.61 ± 3.51, 1.54 ± 4.53; weekends: 1.40 ± 2.54, 1.33 ± 3.62), suggesting that study participants were exposed to various indoor PM 2.5 sources. In addition, P/O ratios calculated outdoors (weekdays: 0.97 ± 1.49; weekends: 0.93 ± 1.67) were relatively high compared with those in other microenvironments except the home. Correlation and linear regression analyses showed that home indoor PM 2.5 concentrations had the strongest explanatory power for personal PM 2.5 exposure (26.82%), and outdoor PM 2.5 concentrations explained only a small proportion of the variability in both personal exposure and home indoor PM 2.5 concentrations (0.56% and 0.28%, respectively). This study provides foundational data for developing personal PM 2.5 exposure assessment models and establishing strategies for indoor air quality management.
Jang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.