Field Investigation of PM2.5 in Schoolchildren’s Houses and Classrooms in Changsha, China.

PM 2.5 concentrations in ten schoolchildren’s houses and two classrooms in Changsha, China were measured. The objective was to understand the current status of PM 2.5 levels in the residential and classroom environment, examine the differences of PM 2.5 pollution at home between the children with one or more respiratory and allergic symptoms and those healthy ones. According to the obtained results, the indoor PM 2.5 concentrations in all investigated families were much higher than the Chinese national standard limit (75 μg/m 3 ). And the average concentrations of PM 2.5 in Group A (unhealthy children) were higher than those of Group B (healthy children), indicating that PM 2.5 could have adverse effects on the health of children. The PM 2.5 concentrations in two classrooms also exceeded the upper limit. The Pearson correlation coefficients ( r > 0.9) implied that indoor PM 2.5 mainly come from outdoor air. Some effective measures should be taken to control the indoor and outdoor PM 2.5 level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]