Mj. Anderson et al., Source apportionment of exposure to toxic volatile organic compounds usingpositive matrix factorization, J EXP AN EN, 11(4), 2001, pp. 295-307
Citations number
38
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Data from the Total Exposure Assessment Methodology studies, conducted from
1980 to 1987 in New Jersey (NJ) and California (CA), and the 1990 Californ
ia Indoor Exposure study were analyzed using positive matrix factorization,
a receptor-oriented source apportionment model. Personal exposure and outd
oor concentrations of 14 and 17 toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) wer
e studied from the NJ and CA data, respectively. Analyzing both the persona
l exposure and outdoor concentrations made it possible to compare toxic VOC
s in outdoor air and exposure resulting from personal activities. Regressio
n analyses of the measured concentrations versus the factor scores were per
formed to determine the relative contribution of each factor to total expos
ure concentrations. Activity patterns of the NJ and CA participants were ex
amined to determine whether reported exposures to specific sources correspo
nd to higher estimated contributions from the factor identified with that s
ource. For a subset of VOCs, a preliminary analysis to determine irritancy-
based contributions of factors to exposures was carried out. Major source t
ypes of toxic VOCs in both NJ and CA appear to be aromatic sources resembli
ng automobile exhaust, gasoline vapor, or environmental tobacco smoke for p
ersonal exposures, and automobile exhaust or gasoline vapors for outdoor co
ncentrations.