Association of Roadway Proximity with Indoor Air Pollution in a Peri-Urban Community in Lima, Peru

Lindsay J. Underhill, Sonali Bose, D’Ann L. Williams, Karina M. Romero, Gary Malpartida, Patrick N. Breysse, Elizabeth M. Klasen, Juan M. Combe, William Checkley and Nadia N. Hansel
Additional contact information
Lindsay J. Underhill: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Sonali Bose: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
D’Ann L. Williams: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Karina M. Romero: Center for Asthma Research, A.B. PRISMA, Lima 32, Peru
Gary Malpartida: Laboratorio de Investigacion y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 31, Peru
Patrick N. Breysse: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Elizabeth M. Klasen: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Juan M. Combe: Center for Asthma Research, A.B. PRISMA, Lima 32, Peru
William Checkley: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Nadia N. Hansel: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: The influence of traffic-related air pollution on indoor residential exposure is not well characterized in homes with high natural ventilation in low-income countries. Additionally, domestic allergen exposure is unknown in such populations. We conducted a pilot study of 25 homes in peri-urban Lima, Peru to estimate the effects of roadway proximity and season on residential concentrations. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and black carbon (BC) were measured OPEN ACCESS Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12 13467 during two seasons, and allergens were measured in bedroom dust. Allergen levels were highest for dust mite and mouse allergens, with concentrations above clinically relevant thresholds in over a quarter and half of all homes, respectively. Mean indoor and outdoor pollutant concentrations were similar (PM 2.5 : 20.0 vs . 16.9 ?g/m3, BC: 7.6 vs. 8.1 ?g/m3, NO 2 : 7.3 vs. 7.5 ppb), and tended to be higher in the summer compared to the winter. Road proximity was significantly correlated with overall concentrations of outdoor PM 2.5 (rs = ?0.42, p = 0.01) and NO2 (r s = ?0.36, p = 0.03), and outdoor BC concentrations in the winter (rs = ?0.51, p = 0.03). Our results suggest that outdoor-sourced pollutants significantly influence indoor air quality in peri-urban Peruvian communities, and homes closer to roadways are particularly vulnerable.

Keywords: air pollution; indoor environment; particulate matter; black carbon; nitrogen dioxide; allergens; asthma; traffic; childhood; low-income and vulnerable populations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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