Preliminary analysis of indoor pollution from nitrogen dioxide in an area of Northern Italy

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this work are to describe the annual mean concentration of NO2 and to identify the home features and "habits" of its occupants related to NO2 levels. Both indoor and outdoor NO2 concentrations were measured in 114 dwellings in Pavia (Northern Italy).
DESIGN: The study is in the frame of European Community Respiratory Health Survey II. Data were collected in the period 2001-2002 during home visits by trained fieldworkers.
PARTICIPANTS: 116 subjects gave the consent to home visits.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: NO2 concentration measured using passive samplers.RESULTS: Indoor NO2 concentration is in average 47.1 microg/m3 (+/- 24.5 microg/m3) and outdoor NO2 concentration is 44.3 microg/m3 (+/- 14.5 microg/m3). The gas oven is the only domestic gas appliance associate with high levels of NO2 when measuring in homes. The outdoor pollution affects NO2 indoor concentrations and contribute to store NO2 in homes.
CONCLUSION: the study is the first step in the evaluation of NO2 exposure effect on respiratory health.