A Study on Indoor/Outdoor Concentration of Particulate Matter in Rural Residential Houses in India

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a matter of public concern these days whereas air pollution is normally monitored outdoors as required under national air quality strategies. In consequence, much less is known about air pollution levels indoors. As about 70% of the Indian population lives in villages in rural areas this study attempt to provide information about the present IAQ based upon particulate matter concentrations in rural residents homes of Agra region ( the city of Taj Mahal). Samples were collected during March-2008 to March-2009 in the indoors and outdoors of five rural homes having different indoor and outdoor kitchen configurations using Grimm aerosol spectrometer model no: 1.109. The mean concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 were 217.75±66.62¿gm^-3, 156.87±66.76¿gm^-3, and 94.01±37.87¿gm^-3 indoors, whereas 187.86±41.01¿gm^-3, 127.94±34.65¿gm^-3, 80.64±18.47¿gm^-3 outdoors respectively. Concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 has been compared with prescribed WHO standards and were found to be much higher. Significant Spatial as well as seasonal variations of particulate pollutants were also obtained.