Air assessment in the indoor environment of the Chromatography laboratory of the University of Pamplona-Norte de Santander, Colombia

Abstract

Knowing the state of the indoor air quality is essential to determine the areas in which there is greater potential for affecting human health. Exposure to airborne particles (PM) is one of the most important environmental risks faced by people. Exposure to PM2.5 (mass concentration of particulate material with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) is considered among the ten main risks that lead to a lower life expectancy worldwide. Most PM exposure occurs inside a home (office) because this is where people spend a large part of their lives. People who remain in urban areas open to the public and located in sectors where traffic flow is very high, are exposed to high levels of air pollutants, especially in heavily polluted areas and on congested roads. For the first time in Colombia, air quality is studied inside a work site influenced by atmospheric air pollution, by monitoring PM2.5 and determining the HAPs and metals present in the indoor air of the chromatography laboratory from the University of Pamplona.