Wenner, M.M.; Ries-Roncalli, A.; Whalen, M.C.R.; Jing, P. The Relationship between Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter in a High-Rise Building in Chicago Monitored by PurpleAir Sensors. Sensors2024, 24, 2493.
Wenner, M.M.; Ries-Roncalli, A.; Whalen, M.C.R.; Jing, P. The Relationship between Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter in a High-Rise Building in Chicago Monitored by PurpleAir Sensors. Sensors 2024, 24, 2493.
Wenner, M.M.; Ries-Roncalli, A.; Whalen, M.C.R.; Jing, P. The Relationship between Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter in a High-Rise Building in Chicago Monitored by PurpleAir Sensors. Sensors2024, 24, 2493.
Wenner, M.M.; Ries-Roncalli, A.; Whalen, M.C.R.; Jing, P. The Relationship between Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter in a High-Rise Building in Chicago Monitored by PurpleAir Sensors. Sensors 2024, 24, 2493.
Abstract
In urban areas like Chicago, daily life extends above ground level due to prevalence of high-rise buildings where residents and commuters live and work. This study examines the variation in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations across building stories. PM2.5 levels were measured using PurpleAir sensors, installed between April 8 and May 7, 2023, on floors one, four, six, and nine of an office building in Chicago. Additionally, data were collected from a public outdoor PurpleAir sensor on the fourteenth floor of a condominium located 800 meters away. Results show that outdoor PM2.5 concentrations peak at 14 meters height, then decline by 0.11 μg/m3 per meter elevation, especially noticeable from midnight to 8 AM under stable atmospheric conditions. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations increase steadily by 0.02 μg/m3 per meter elevation, particularly during peak work hours, likely caused by greater infiltration rates at higher floors. Both outdoor and indoor concentrations peak around noon. We find that indoor and outdoor PM2.5 are positively correlated, with indoor levels consistently remaining lower than outside levels. These findings align with previous research suggesting decreasing outdoor air pollution concentrations with increasing height. The study informs decision-making by community members and policymakers regarding air pollution exposure in urban settings.
Keywords
fine particulate matter; PM2.5; indoor air pollution; Chicago; high-rise buildings; PurpleAir; low-cost sensors; vertical variation
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
