LAUSR

Abstract This paper reported concentration characteristics of thirteen kinds of gaseous carbonyl compounds (CCs) in urban houses with schoolchildren in two different climatic zones of China, estimated schoolchildren’s daily inhalation dose of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, and then evaluated potential health risks for schoolchildren. Formaldehyde was the most abundant CCs in the houses, following by acetone and acetaldehyde. Mean concentrations of indoor formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetone in summer were 39.4 μg/m3, 16.1 μg/m3 and 26.7 μg/m3, which were higher than the concentrations of 21.4 μg/m3, 9.9 μg/m3 and 16.5 μg/m3 in winter. Compared to winter, more kinds of CCs were detected in summer. The significant positive correlations between different CCs indicated CCs were coexisting in indoor environments and released from the same sources. Due to a longer time spent in child’s bedrooms, children’s inhalation doses of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in child’s bedrooms were much higher than those in living rooms. The impact of formaldehyde exposure in the houses on children’s health was greater than acetaldehyde exposure. The average risk quotients for formaldehyde exposure in winter and summer were 20.74 and 39.34, while 4.65 and 6.97 for formaldehyde exposure. These results supplemented the limited data concerning children’s exposure to CCs and associated health risk in the houses of China.