1. Kerosene space heaters: a major source of ultrafine particles indoors
- Author
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Ramalho, O., Gehin, E., Guégan, H., Danjou, J., Derbez, M., Kirchner, S., Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), Centre d'Etudes et Recherches en Thermique, Environnement et Systèmes [Créteil] (CERTES EA 3481), Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12), Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan (CENBG), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1, Laboratoire d'Hygiène de la Ville de Paris (LHVP), LHVP, PRIMEQUAL, Ramalho, Olivier, Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Le Noan, Ludovic
- Subjects
[SDE] Environmental Sciences ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,[SDE.ES] Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society ,[SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society - Abstract
International audience; Kerosene heaters are known to emit pollutants in the indoor environment but ultrafine particle emission was never reported. A kerosene heater was characterized in an experimental chamber using four different instruments to monitor particle number concentration and size distribution down to 5 nm. Another experiment was realized to collect particles and determine their composition in elements, ions, organic/elemental carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The kerosene heater produced ultrafine particles in the range 5 to 40 nm with a count median diameter of 9.5 nm. The emission rate was (1.8±0.3)×1011 particle*s-1. Chromium and manganese (4 and 0.05 ng*g-1 of burned fuel) were specifically associated with kerosene combustion. Trace levels of sulfates, nitrates, phenanthrene and fluoranthene were also detected. Scanning electron microscopy showed submicronic aggregates mostly composed of carbon and traces of silicon. Our findings showed that kerosene heaters represent a major indoor source of ultrafine particles.
- Published
- 2008