In order for records to be preserved for a long time without physical and chemical transformation, the preservation environment of the library is very important, and environmental problems must be improved through periodic investigation on the preservation environment. Against this background, this study derived fine dust (PM10) and ultrafine dust (PM2.5) concentration data for the libraries, hallways, and workrooms of the National Archives of Korea over two years. There was a difference in the concentration of fine dust and ultrafine dust among facilities, and there was a change in the concentration depending on the month. Both fine dust and ultrafine dust concentrations were present at less than 10 μg/m³ in the libraries. In the hallways, both fine and ultrafine dust concentrations were highest in July. In the workplaces, the monthly fluctuations in the concentration of fine dust and ultrafine dust were large. And the concentration of fine dust and ultrafine dust in the workplaces were higher than those in the library and hallways. Overall, the concentration of fine dust and ultra-fine dust was measured below the maintenance standards stipulated by the Indoor Air Quality Management Act of the Ministry of Environment of Korea in all the investigated facilities. The results of this study are expected to be used as fundamental information to manage the indoor air quality of the facilities of the National Archives.

In this paper, a survey on students’ perceptions of air pollution, particulate matter (PM) and indoor air quality (IAQ) in school classrooms was analyzed. A total of 174 students participated in the survey, where 127 and 47 participants were elementary school students and middle school students, respectively. The elementary school was located in a rural area of Korea, whereas the middle school was located in an urban area. The questionnaire of the survey was mainly composed of three parts: (1) students’ perceptions of air pollution, (2) students’ perceptions of IAQ in the classroom, and (3) students’ perceptions of how to improve IAQ in the classroom. Based on our study, the responses of the students for the given questionnaire showed an opposite tendency. The students in the rural area tended to have positive perceptions regarding IAQ in the classroom as well as air pollution, whereas the students in the urban area revealed negative perceptions for the same items. Our survey results can be used by school officials in order to maintain and improve IAQ in school classrooms based on the perceptions of the students.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to analyze the uniform diffusion mechanism of precursor gas species, and the effect of NOx reduction technology in a full-scale particulate matter testing facility, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). METHODS : A full-scale environment chamber was constructed to evaluate the effects of particulate matter reduction technologies on the road. CFD analysis was conducted to simulate the road environment conditions in the chamber, and investigate the effect of the NOx removal panel. The time required to reach the NOx concentration to target value in the fluid field was determined at a given inflow velocity, inlet direction, and initial inflow concentration. The effect of the NOx removal panel, and solar energy on the reduction characteristics of the NOx concentration in the environment chamber was analyzed. RESULTS : The inflow velocity was determined to be the major factor affecting the time required to reach a uniform target NOx concentration in the environment chamber. The inlet location in the transverse direction requires additional time to approach the uniform target concentration, than the longitudinal direction at the same inflow velocity. Based on the CFD analysis in the 1ppm concentration condition of the chamber, a two-fold increase in the NOx removal panel efficiency can reduce the time to target concentration by approximately 50%. It is also observed that a 20% increase in solar energy can decrease the time to target concentration by 4%–12% depending on the panel efficiency. CONCLUSIONS : This study proved that a full-scale environment chamber can be effectively utilized to evaluate the particulate matter reduction technologies applied in road facilities

This study obtained the following conclusions using the measurement results of indoor and outdoor PM10 with regard to cardiovascular disease patients in Cheongju-area in November 2020. Most of the PM10 has an I/O ratio of less than 1, which is an outdoor source. Since we measured once and twice time, Without the air purifier device’s working status, there were no concentration changes of PM10 in the first and second indoor areas. As for the concentration of PM10 according to the living environment, the distribution of PM10 is higher indoors than outdoors when the residential area is 30 m2 or more, and the outdoor PM10 concentration tends to be high when the distance to the road is within 50 m. The more time spent indoors, the higher the indoor PM10 concentration. The smaller the ventilation time and frequency, the longer the cooking time was, and the higher the number of cooking times, the higher the concentration of PM10 could be. The indoor PM10 contribution ratio through multiple regression analysis showed the possibility of increasing indoor PM10 as β = 28.590 when the time spent indoors was longer than 16 hours (p<0.05). The result regarding PM10 exposure reveals that PM10 can be inhaled not only indoors but also outdoors, and the subjects of this study appear to have lived indoors for about 16 hours or longer on a daily basis, which may affect their health regardless of gender.

대기 중 미세먼지가 환경과 인간의 공중 보건에 악영향을 미치고 있다는 사실은 점점 명확해지고 있다. 미세먼지가 식물의 잎에 침착, 흡수되므로 식물이 미세먼지를 제거 하는 바이오필터로 활용하기 위한 연구들이 활발히 진행 되고 있다. 또한, 식물에 흡수된 미세먼지는 식물에 다양한 생리적, 형태적 영향을 미치게 된다. 본 연구는 식물과 미세먼지간의 상호작용에 대해 국내외에서 수행되어온 연구들의 방법과 결과를 특히 생태적 관점에서 종합 정리하였다.

In this paper, we conducted a survey to reveal the general perception of parents toward outdoor air quality, particulate matter (PM), and indoor air quality (IAQ) at schools where their children attend. A total of 1,030 parents participated in this survey, where the age of their children ranged between 7 years to over 19 years of age. Each participant was either a member of a non-governmental organization (NGO) with a keen interest in air quality or an ordinary public panel member with less interest. The result of the survey indicated that the participants had a negative perception of air quality, and parents believed that the outdoor and indoor air is extremely polluted. The participants pointed out that they believe that the main reason for the pollution is due to particulate matter (PM) and school classrooms are the location where their children are exposed to PM the most. Based on our study, the majority of the participants prefer a mechanical ventilation system to reduce indoor air pollutants in schools. Our study should be referred to by school officials in order to maintain IAQ and as a way of addressing the concerns of parents who want to protect their children’s health.

본 연구는 도로에서 발생하는 미세먼지 농도가 도시 개발 형태에 따라 인접 생활권별로 어떻게 확산되는지 시뮬레이션을 통해 파악하고자 하였다. 연구는 경상남도 밀양시청 앞 6차선 도로를 중심으로 한 도로영향권 시가지를 대상으로 진행하였다. 시뮬레이션 프로그램인 ENVI-met 모델을 가로녹지 유무, 도로변 건축물의 높이에 따라 변수를 조정하여 미세먼지 농도의 확산정도를 파악하였다. 모델링 결과 도로변 건물이 고층으로 형성되어 있고 가로녹지가 조성되어 있는 경우 인접 생활권으로 확산된 미세먼지 농도가 가장 낮았으며, 다음으로는 고층건물군에 가로녹지가 없는 상태의 농도가 낮았다. 반면 저층건물군이 형성된 경우에는 가로녹지 유무에 관계없이 인접생활권으로 확산된 미세먼지 농도는 높게 나타났다. 고층건물의 경우 빌딩풍에 의해 건축물 주변으로 강한 바람이 형성되는 만큼 바람에 의해 미세먼지가 빠르게 외부로 확산되어 농도가 낮아지는 것으로 확인할 수 있었다. 반면 가로녹지 조성이 도로변 생활권에 미치는 미세먼지 저감효과는 뚜렷하지 않았다. 특히 도로변 건축물이 저층일 경우 가로녹지를 조성과 생활권미세먼지농도변화와 관련성은 없는 것으로 확인되었다. 본 연구는 미세먼지가 도로에서만 발생하는 것을 가정하여 모델링을 진행한 것으로 향후 다양한 변수에 따른 미세먼지 확산모형 연구 및 현장연구의 보완을 필요로 하였다.

본 연구에서는 K-means 군집 분석을 통하여 최근 5년간(2014-2018) 한반도 남동 지역의 고농도 미세먼지 발생에 영향을 미치는 주요 종관 기상 패턴을 분류하였다. 또한 고농도 미세먼지 사례일의 발생과 관련된 지역적 차이를 살펴보기 위하여 NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction)/FNL (Final Operational Global Analysis) 재해석 기상자료를 이용하여 부산, 울산, 경남 지역의 미세먼지 발생 특성과 관련된 종관 규모 기상의 특성에 대한 비교 연구도 수행하였다. 한반도 남동 지역의 고농도 미세먼지 사례일과 관련된 종관 기상 패턴은 총 5개(C1-C5)로 분류된다. 각 군집의 발생빈도는 24.8% (C1), 21.3% (C2), 20.4% (C3), 17.3% (C4), 16.2% (C5)이다. 기상 패턴 분석을 통하여 제시된 남동 지역의 고농도 미세먼지를 유발하는 요인에는 지역 외부에서 장·단거리 수송(C1, C3, C5)에 의한 영향과 지역내 배출(C2, C4)에 의한 것임을 알 수 있었다. 또한 고농도 미세먼지 발생일에 대해 부산, 울산, 경남 세 지역의 기상장을 분석하였을 때, 500 hPa 지위 고도 및 풍속 등의 기상학적 특성이 지역별로 다르게 나타났다. 그리고 고기압 의 작은 위치 변화가 각 지역의 미세먼지 발원과 장거리 이동 경향성에 영향을 미치고 있었다.

PURPOSES : In this study, the characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations under different weather conditions of different types of bus stops, such as enclosed-type and open-type bus stops, were analyzed using statistical methods. METHODS : Data was collected inside and outside an enclosed bus stop on sunny and rainy days to compare and analyze the characteristics of fine particulate matter concentration in the target bus stop. The probability distributions were estimated for each data point using the Anderson–Darling test. Based on the estimated probability distributions, probability density functions were computed, and the values were used to estimate and compare probability for each air quality index inside and outside the bus stop under different weather conditions RESULTS : For the results of descriptive statistics, the average concentrations of fine particulate matter inside and outside the bus stop were 42.296 and 35.482 μg/m3 on a sunny day and 40.831 and 39.321 μg/m3 on a rainy day, respectively. Results of the statistical method, obtained using the Anderson-Darling test, indicate that the probability of the air quality index inside the bus stop reaching high concentrations on a sunny day was "high" or "very high," compared to that outside the bus stop. However, on rainy days, the differences in fine particulate matter concentrations inside and outside the bus stops were difficult to identify based on statistical evidence. CONCLUSIONS : It was found that the open-type bus stop had an advantage of preventing fine particulate matter effects on sunny days, compared to the enclosed-type bus stops. Furthermore, there were slight differences in fine particulate matter concentrations inside and outside the bus stop on a rainy day because of atmospheric flow and stormwater.

PURPOSES : A pilot experimental study on the formation of fine particulate matter through photochemical reactions using precursor gas species (volatile organic compounds (VOCs), NH3, SO2, and NOx) was conducted to evaluate the large-scale environment chamber for investigating the pathway of aerosol formation and the subsequent assessment techniques used for reducing fine particulate matter. Two small-scale environment chambers (one experimental group and one control group), each with a width, depth, and height of 3 m, 2 m, and 2.3 m, respectively, were constructed using ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) films. METHODS : The initial conditions of the fine particles and precursor gases (NOx and VOCs) for the small-scale environment chamber were set up by injecting diesel vehicle exhaust. NH3 and H2O2 were added to the small-scale environment chamber for the photochemical reaction to form organic and inorganic aerosols. The gas phase of the VOCs and the chemical compositions of aerosols were investigated using a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer and the aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer at 1 and 10 s time resolutions, respectively. Gas phases of NO and NO2 were measured using Serinus 40 NOx at a 20 s time resolution. RESULTS : The small-scale environment chambers built using ETFE films were proved to supply sufficient natural sunlight for the photochemical reaction in the environment chambers at an average of approximately 89% natural sunlight transmission at 300–1000 nm. When the intermediates of NH3 and H2O2 for the atmospheric chemical reaction were injected for the initial condition of the small-scale environment chamber, nitrate and ammonium in the experimental group increased to 4747% and 1837%, respectively, compared to the initial concentrations (5.4 μg/m3 of nitrate and 5.2 μg/m3 of ammonium), indicating the formation of secondary inorganic aerosols of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). This implies that it is necessary to inject intermediates (NH3 and H2O2) for the formation of fine particulate matter when simulating the atmospheric photochemical reaction for assessing the environment chamber. CONCLUSIONS : This study has shown that small-scale environment chambers can simulate the atmospheric photochemical reaction for the reduction of fine particulate matter and the formation of the aerosol pathway. The results of this study can be applied to prevent time and economic losses that may be incurred in a full-scale environment chamber.

PURPOSES : NOx is a particle matter precursor that is harmful to humans. Various methods of removing NOx from the air have been developed. TiO2 and activated carbon are particularly useful materials for removing NOx, and the method is known as particulate matter precursor reduction. The removal of NOx using TiO2 requires sunlight for the photocatalytic reaction, whereas activated carbon absorbs NOx particles into its pores after contact with the atmosphere. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the NOx removal efficiency of TiO2 and activated carbon applied to concrete surfaces using the penetration method. METHODS : Surface penetration agents, such as silane-siloxane and silicate, were used. Photocatalyst TiO2 and adsorbent activated carbons were selected as the materials for NOx removal. TiO2 used in this study was formed by crystal structures of anatase and rutile, and plant-type and coal-type materials were used for the activated carbon. Each surface penetration agent was mixed with each particulate matter sealer at a concentration ratio of 8:2, and the mixtures were sprayed onto the surface. The NOx removal efficiency was evaluated using NOx removal efficiency equipment fabricated in compliance with the ISO 22197-1 standard. RESULTS : Anatase TiO2 showed a maximum NOx removal efficiency of 48% when 500 g/m² was applied. However, 500 g/m² of rutile TiO2 showed a NOx removal efficiency of up to 10%. When 700 g/m² of coal-based activated carbon and plant-based activated carbon was used, NOx removal efficiencies of up to 11% and 14%, respectively, were obtained. CONCLUSIONS : Rutile TiO2, a coal-based activated carbon, and plant-based activated carbon have lower NOx removal efficiencies than anatase TiO2. A lower amount of anatase TiO2 (500 g/m²), compared to the other spraying volumes, yielded the most significant NOx removal efficiency under optimal conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that 500 g/m² of anatase TiO2 should be sprayed onto concrete structures to improve the economic and long-term performance of these structures.

High concentrations of PM2.5 were generated in new apartments before moving in, and PM2.5 reduction efficiencies using air cleaners and ventilation systems were evaluated. The experimental results for different air cleaner capacities showed that the PM2.5 reduction efficiencies for 46.2 m2, 66 m2, and 105.6 m2 areas were 81.7%, 92.9%, and 92.5%, respectively. Thus, the larger the air cleaning application area, the higher the PM2.5 reduction efficiency. However, there was no difference in the efficiency of overcapacity air cleaners above a certain capacity. The efficiencies of air cleaners located at the living room center, interior wall, and edge were 81.7%, 79.2%, and 75.8%, respectively. There was, therefore, no significant difference in the PM2.5 reduction efficiencies of air cleaners in different locations. Furthermore, the PM2.5 reduction efficiencies at distances of 1 m, 2 m, and 3 m were 81.7%, 81.3%, and 81.7%, respectively. Therefore, there was also no significant difference in efficiency with distance. The PM2.5 concentration decreases rapidly during natural ventilation. Therefore, when the indoor PM2.5 is higher than the outdoor PM2.5, the air cleaner should be used after natural ventilation. The efficiency of PM2.5 reduction using an air supply-type ventilation system in apartments was 35%, which is not high. The simultaneous operation of the ventilation system and kitchen range hood was effective, showing a PM2.5 reduction efficiency of 69.1%. However, a water sprayer was not effective, showing a PM2.5 reduction efficiency of 24.3%. The results of this study suggest that PM2.5 reduction performance should be standardized by evaluating the efficiency of different ventilation systems. Effective usage and maintenance standards for ventilation systems need to be disseminated, and ventilation systems and air cleaners should be used effectively.

Since 1974, the urban subway has been used as a major form of public transportation in Seoul, Korea. The air quality in the subway environment depends on the introduction of air pollutants from roadway air and its generation is caused by subway operation in the tunnel. In the subway tunnel, PM10 concentration was monitored from March 8 to 15, 2018 and from March 26 to 28, 2018, and compared with concentrations that are routinely monitored at the subway concourse and the nearest roadside air quality monitoring station (RAQMS). Overall PM10 concentration at the concourse was similar to that of the RAQMS. However, PM10 concentration in the tunnel was significantly higher than those of the subway concourse and RAQMS, and showed distinct diurnal variation caused by train operation. The dominant peak concentrations were highly correlated with the number of train operations per hour. The minimum PM10 concentration was observed between 2 am to 5 am when the train was not operated. This was similar to that of the RAQMS. Although the diurnal variation of the PM10 concentration at the concourse is not significant, the overall trend is similar to that in the tunnel.