Use of personal passive samplers for measurement of NO(2), NO, and O(3) levels in panel studies.

We measured personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), nitrogen monoxide (NO), and ozone (O(3)), using personal passive samplers during three 4-day periods, in a panel study of asthmatics continuing the normal activities of everyday life. Fifty-five adults, mean age 42 years, 53% men, and 39 children, mean age 11 years, 67% boys, wore two Ogawa passive samplers simultaneously: one for O(3), the other for NO(2) and NO. Mean outdoor pollution was measured at a regional monitoring network. Personal exposure levels were scattered; they were (on average) higher than stationary-site levels for NO and lower for NO(2) and O(3). In adults, 41% of the variance of personal exposure to NO(2) was explained by mean stationary-site measurement levels (P<0.0001). Twenty-one percent additional variance was explained by living near a main road, not having an extractor fan over the cooker, older age, and male sex. NO and O(3) personal exposures correlated poorly with stationary-site measurements. In panel studies of the health effects of air pollution, personal exposure to NO(2) and NO can be measured satisfactorily by passive samplers: such measurements are necessary for NO but not for NO(2). For O(3), accurate personal exposure measurement remains a challenge and further technical development is required. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.