Indoor Air Pollution in Four Cities in China

The study reports the investigation of indoor air pollution carried out in four cities in China （Chengde, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan）. The concentrations of RP, SO2, CO and NO2 were measured in kitchens and bedrooms, both in summer and in winter. The results showed that indoor air pollution, as measured by RP, SO2, CO, was heavy when coal was used as domestic fuel. This was particularly severe in winter. For example, the concentrations of SO2 in homes with coal stoves were more than 10 times higher than those in homes with gas or LPG in Shanghai. The concentratins of pollutants in kitchens were higher than those in bedrooms. The source of pollutants was fuel combustion from kitchen. The highest concentrations in kitchen could reach 665 μg/m3 （RP）, 860 μg/m3 （SO2） and 14.07 mg/m3 （CO）. The concentrations in bedrooms were up to 270 μg/m3 502μg/m3, and 13.67mg/m3, respectively.