Estimation Of Personal Ozone Exposure Using Ambient Concentrations And Influencing Factors

Evidence is limited regarding whether ambient monitoring can properly represent personal ozone exposure. We conducted a longitudinal panel study to measure personal exposure to ozone using real-time personal ozone monitors. Corresponding ambient ozone concentrations and possible influencing factors (meteorological conditions and activity patterns) were also collected. We used linear mixed-effect models to analyze personal-ambient ozone concentration associations and possible influencing factors. Ambient ozone concentrations were around two to three times higher than personal ozone (43.1 μg/m3 on average) and their correlations were weak with small slopes (0.35) and marginal R square (RM2) values (0.24). Larger RM2 values were found under high temperature (\u3e29.5 °C), low humidity (\u3c62.1%), good ventilation conditions (\u3e4 h) and for individuals spent longer time outdoors (\u3e0.6 h). In final model, personal ozone exposure was positively associated with ambient concentrations and ventilation conditions, but inversely correlated with ambient temperature and humidity. The models explained \u3e50% of personal ozone concentration variabilities. Our results highlight that ambient ozone concentration alone is not a suitable surrogate for individual exposure assessment. Meteorological conditions (temperature and humidity) and activity patterns (windows opening and outdoor activities) that affecting personal ozone exposure should be taken into account