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Relationship of Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA) study: study design, methods and quality assurance/control results

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 15, pages 123–137 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

The Relationship of Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA) Study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of outdoor sources of air toxics, as defined in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, to indoor concentrations and personal exposures. The concentrations of 18 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 17 carbonyl compounds, and fine particulate matter mass (PM2.5) were measured using 48-h outdoor, indoor and personal air samples collected simultaneously. PM2.5 mass, as well as several component species (elemental carbon, organic carbon, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and elemental analysis) were also measured; only PM 2.5 mass is reported here. Questionnaires were administered to characterize homes, neighborhoods and personal activities that might affect exposures. The air exchange rate was also measured in each home. Homes in close proximity (<0.5 km) to sources of air toxics were preferentially (2:1) selected for sampling. Approximately 100 non-smoking households in each of Elizabeth, NJ, Houston, TX, and Los Angeles, CA were sampled (100, 105, and 105 respectively) with second visits performed at 84, 93, and 81 homes in each city, respectively. VOC samples were collected at all homes, carbonyls at 90% and PM2.5 at 60% of the homes. Personal samples were collected from nonsmoking adults and a portion of children living in the target homes. This manuscript provides the RIOPA study design and quality control and assurance data. The results from the RIOPA study can potentially provide information on the influence of ambient sources on indoor air concentrations and exposure for many air toxics and will furnish an opportunity to evaluate exposure models for these compounds.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all of the participants in the study. We gratefully acknowledge the hard work of all the students and technicians in the field and laboratories of RIOPA investigators and the hospitality of the RIOPA participants (subjects). Field and laboratory personal included: Qing Yu Meng, Adam Reff, Andrea Polrdori, Robert Porcja, Yelena Naumova, Jong Hoon Lee, Lin Zhang, Tina Fan, Jennifer Jones, L Farrar, Yangrid Blossiers, and Marian Fahrey. This research was supported by The Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC) (Contract # 96-01A/P01818769) and by The Health Effects Institute (HEI, Contract # 98-23-3). HEI is jointly funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA: Assistance Agreement R828112) and automotive manufacturers. The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the Mickey Leland NUATRC nor HEI, nor do they necessarily reflect the views and policies of EPA or of motor vehicle and engine manufacturers. Drs. Weisel, Turpin and Zhang were supported in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center for Excellence (ES05022) and Dr Turpin was supported in part by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

    Clifford P Weisel, Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, Barbara J Turpin, Leo Korn, Shahnaz Alimokhtari, Jaymin Kwon, Krishnan Mohan & Robert Harrington

  2. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

    Clifford P Weisel

  3. School of Public Health, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

    Junfeng (Jim) Zhang

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

    Barbara J Turpin, Robert Giovanetti & William Cui

  5. School of Public Health, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA

    Maria T Morandi, Thomas H Stock, Masoud Afshar & Silvia Maberti

  6. Integrated Environmental Science, Irvine, California, USA

    Steven Colome & Dalia M Spektor

  7. University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Arthur Winer & Derek Shendell

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  1. Clifford P Weisel
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Correspondence to Clifford P Weisel.

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Weisel, C., Zhang, J., Turpin, B. et al. Relationship of Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA) study: study design, methods and quality assurance/control results. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 15, 123–137 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500379

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