계절에 따른 국내 인구집단의 오존 개인노출 및 단기 고농도 분포 분석

Analysis of Seasonal Variability of Personal Exposure to Ozone and Distributions of High Short-Term Exposure in South Korea

Background: Ozone (O3) is a secondary pollutant known to cause various adverse health effects. It is present in both indoor and outdoor environments and exhibits strong temporal and spatial variability, meaning personal exposure levels vary depending on season, daily activities, and time spent in microenvironments. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to investigate personal exposure to O3 among the South Korean population by season and to identify microenvironments associated with high short-term exposure. Methods: This study measured personal exposure to O3 at one-minute interval based on time-activity patterns of ten time-activity groups, using active air samplers. The one-minute data was subsequently calculated to one-hour mean O3 concentrations on each hour. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses were conducted for seasonal and group variation of personal exposure to O3. Simple linear regression was applied for the relationship between personal exposure and ambient concentration. Results: Elevated one-hour personal exposure to O3 was generally observed during spring and summer. Ambient O3 concentrations did not significantly explain personal exposure, underscoring the significance of microenvironmental and behavioral factors on personal exposure. High one-minute O3 levels were predominantly detected in cooking-related indoor microenvironments such as restaurants, barbecue restaurants, and pubs in all seasons, and outdoor environments such as traditional markets and walking in spring and summer. Conclusions: Personal exposure to O3 demonstrated clear seasonal variations. However, indoor microenvironments and individual behaviors exerted strong influences on personal exposure. These findings highlighted the need to account for microenvironmental and activity-related factors in personal O3 exposure assessment.Background: Ozone (O3) is a secondary pollutant known to cause various adverse health effects. It is present in both indoor and outdoor environments and exhibits strong temporal and spatial variability, meaning personal exposure levels vary depending on season, daily activities, and time spent in microenvironments.