PERSONAL EXPOSURE TO TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICULATES OF ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN VANDERBIJLPARK, SOUTH-AFRICA

Personal monitoring of exposure to air pollution is becoming increasin gly important in health studies as a method of characterizing total ex posure. We monitored the exposure of 31 teenagers to total suspended p articulates (TSP) over a 12-hour period ns part of the Vaal Triangle A ir Pollution Health Study. Sampling for TSP was performed at 1.9 l min (-1) and concentrations were determined gravimetrically. A time/activi ty diary was completed by the participants. The results indicated thar the subjects were exposed to unhealthy levels of particulates (more t han 50% of measurements exceeded the US and World Health Organisation guidelines), boys had higher exposures than girls and exposures were h igher on non-school days than on school days. Additional monitoring wa s done on 22 of the original 31 teenagers. Each participant carried tw o monitors simultaneously one sampling respirable particulates and one total suspended particulates. Sixty-three per cent of suspended parti culates found in the 22 co-located samples taken in the Vanderbijlpark atmosphere was respirable. The subjects spent between 58 and 75 per c ent of their time indoors. The results also demonstrated that the prop osed methodology is feasible and can be used in a larger scale study.