Indoor exposure to ultrafine particles related to domestic activities: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ultrafine particles (< 100 nm) are of increasing concern because of their toxicological potential. Emission processes suggest their presence in all environments, including at home, where particularly at-risk populations may be exposed. However, knowledge of their impact on health is still limited, due to difficulties in properly assessing exposure in epidemiological studies. In this context, the objective of this study was to provide a complete summary of indoor exposure to ultrafine particles in highly industrialised countries by examining the domestic activities that influence such exposure. We conducted a systematic review, according to PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus up to and including 2021. We carried out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the selected studies with a standardised template. Exposure circumstances, measurement methods, and results were analysed. Finally, a meta-analysis of the measured concentrations was performed to study exposure levels during domestic activities. The review included 69 studies resulting in the analysis of 346 exposure situations. Nine main groups of activities were identified: cooking, which was the most studied, smoking, the use of air-fresheners, cleaning, heating, personal care, printing, do-it-yourself activities, and others. Over 50 different processes were involved in these activities. Based on available particle number concentrations, the highest average of mean concentrations was associated with grilling (14,400 × 103 cm-3), and the lowest with wood stove (18 × 103 cm-3). The highest average of peak concentrations was that for the use of hair dryers (695 × 103 cm-3), and the lowest for the use of air cleaners (11 × 103 cm-3). A hierarchy of domestic activities and related processes leading to ultrafine particle exposure is provided, along with average exposure concentrations at home. However, more extensive measurement campaigns are needed under real-life conditions to improve assessments of indoor exposure to ultrafine particles.

Pesticide Exposure of Residents Living in Wine Regions: Protocol and First Results of the Pestiprev Study.

The PESTIPREV study has been designed to investigate residential exposure to pesticides applied to vines and ultimately propose mitigation measures. A feasibility study was carried out to validate a protocol for measuring six pesticides in three houses located near vineyards in July 2020. Samples included indoor and outdoor surfaces sampled with wipes (n = 214), patches on the resident's skin (n = 7), hand or foot washing (n = 5), and pets sampled using wipes (n = 2). Limits of quantification for wipes ranged between 0.02 ng for trifloxystrobin and 1.50 ng for pyraclostrobin. Tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin were quantified in nearly 100% of the surface samples, whereas the other fungicides were less frequently found (from 39.7% for pyraclostrobin to 55.1% for boscalid). The median surface loadings ranged from 3.13 ng/m2 for benalaxyl to 82.48 ng/m2 for cymoxanil. The pesticides most frequently quantified in hand washing, patch samples, and pet wipes were the same as those quantified on surfaces. Finally, the analyses proved to be successful. The tools developed to collect information on determinants were well completed. The protocol was well received by the participants and appeared to be feasible and relevant to the objective of the PESTIPREV study, although some improvements have been identified. It was applied on a larger scale in 2021 to study the determinants of pesticide exposure.