Biomedical subjects

Zhishi Guo

Publications and source records attributed to Zhishi Guo.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Lead in candle emissions.

The candle-using public should be made aware that the core of candle wicks may contain lead. Used as a stiffening agent to keep the wick out of the molten wax, lead can be emitted as particulates to the air and then deposited on indoor surfaces. To define the problem, 100 sets of candles (two or more identical candles) were purchased locally. The criterion for purchase was that the candles must appear to contain a metal-cored wick or be covered by a metallic pigment. Of the candles purchased, 8% contained lead wicks. The wicks were 39-74% lead (the remainder was fabric or paper) and the lead cores (approx. 100% lead) had linear densities of 13-27 mg/cm. Candles were burned to completion in a closed chamber to capture the air emissions, and the candle residue was extracted to assess the lead mass balance. It was found that individual candles emitted lead to the air at average rates that ranged from 100 to 1700 microg/h. Assuming realistic indoor conditions, these emission rates were modeled to project room air concentration, child exposure by inhalation, and indoor deposition. Results showed that burning single candles can easily raise the source room concentration above the ambient air lead concentration limit of 1.5 microg/m3 set by EPA. Burning multiple candles can elevate it above OSHA permissible exposure limits of 50 microg/m3. Although blood lead levels have dropped precipitously in the United States since lead was phased out of gasoline in 1986, nearly 900,000 children still had levels above 10 microg/dl during NHANES III. Considering that candle sales in the US are estimated at $1-2 billion per year, and that children may spend as much as 88% of their time indoors, it is reasonable to suspect that some blood lead elevation in children arises from indoor micro-environments where lead-wick candles are burned.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed2002

Characterization of emissions from burning incense.

The primary objective of this study was to improve the characterization of particulate matter emissions from burning incense. Emissions of particulate matter were measured for 23 different types of incense using a cyclone/filter method. Emission rates for PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter) ranged from 7 to 202 mg/h, and PM2.5 emission factors ranged from 5 to 56 mg/g of incense burned. Emission rates were also determined using an electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI) and a small electrostatic precipitator (ESP), and emission rates were compared to those determined using the cyclone/filter method. Emission rates determined by the ELPI method were consistently lower than those determined by the cyclone/filter method, and a linear regression correlation was found between emission rates determined by the two methods. Emission rates determined by the ESP method were consistently higher than those determined by the cyclone/filter method, indicating that the ESP may be a more effective method for measuring semivolatile particle emissions. A linear regression correlation was also found between emission rates determined by the ESP and cyclone/filter methods. Particle size distributions were measured with the ELPI, and distributions were found to be similar for most types of incense that were tested. Size distributions by mass typically ranged from approximately 0.06 to 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter, with peak values between 0.26 and 0.65 microm. Results indicated that burning incense emits fine particulate matter in large quantities compared to other indoor sources. An indoor air quality model showed that indoor concentrations of PM25 can far exceed the outdoor concentrations specified by the US EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), so incense smoke can pose a health risk to people due to inhalation exposure of particulate matter. Emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were also measured for seven types of incense. Emission rates of the gaseous pollutants were sufficient to cause indoor concentrations, estimated using the indoor air quality model, to exceed the outdoor concentrations specified by the NAAQS under certain conditions. However, the incense samples that were tested would fill a room with thick smoke under these conditions.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2002

Review of indoor emission source models. Part 1. Overview.

Indoor emission source models are mainly used as a component in indoor air quality (IAQ) modeling, which, in turn, is part of exposure and risk modeling. They are also widely used to interpret the experimental data obtained from environmental chambers and buildings. This paper compiles 52 indoor emission source models found in the literature. Together, they represent the achievements that IAQ modelers have made in recent years. While most models have a certain degree of usefulness, genuine predictive models are still few, and there is undoubtedly much room for improvement. This review consists of two parts. Part 1--this paper-provides an overview of the 52 models, briefly discussing their validity, usefulness, limitations, and flaws (if any). Part 2 focuses on parameter estimation, a topic that is critically important to modelers but has not been systematically discussed.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed2002

Review of indoor emission source models. Part 2. Parameter estimation.

This review consists of two parts. Part 1 provides an overview of 52 indoor emission source models. Part 2--this paper-focuses on parameter estimation, a topic that is critical to modelers but has never been systematically discussed. A perfectly valid model may not be a useful one if some of its parameters are difficult to estimate in the absence of experimental data. This is true for both statistical and mass transfer models. Forty-eight methods are compiled and reviewed in this paper. Overall, developing methods for parameter estimation has fallen behind the development of models. Such imbalance is the main reason that many models have been left on the shelf since they were published.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed2002

Characterization and reduction of formaldehyde emissions from a low-VOC latex paint.

The patterns of formaldehyde emission from a low volatile organic compound (VOC) latex paint applied to gypsum board were measured and analyzed by small environmental chamber tests. It was found that the formaldehyde emissions resulted in a sharp increase of chamber air formaldehyde concentration to a peak followed by transition to a long-term slow decay. A semi-empirical first-order decay in-series model was developed to interpret the chamber data. The model characterized the formaldehyde emissions from the paint in three stages: an initial "puff" of instant release, a fast decay, and a final stage of slow decay controlled by a solid-phase diffusion process that can last for more than a month. The model was also used to estimate the peak concentration and the amount of formaldehyde emitted during each stage. The formaldehyde sources were investigated by comparing emission patterns and modeling outcomes of different paint formulations. The biocide used to preserve the paint was found to be a major source of the formaldehyde. Chamber test results demonstrated that replacing the preservative with a different biocide for the particular paint tested resulted in an approximate reduction of 55% of formaldehyde emissions. But the reduction affected only the third-stage long-term emissions.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗