Ft. McKay community exposure study: Assessment of particulate matter (PM(10)) levels

Ft. McKay is located in close proximity to oil sands activities in Northern Alberta. Air sampling of PM10 outdoors and at 30 homes was undertaken during fall 1999, and winter 2000.;Mean ambient PM10 levels were low during the fall (6.2mug/m 3) and winter (16mug/m3). None of the ambient measurements exceeded proposed or existing PM10 standards. Mean Indoor PM 10 concentrations were high during the fall (83.4mug/m3) and winter (48.4mug/m3). Indoor/outdoor ratios (fall:19.5, winter:5.5) suggest that significant indoor sources for PM10 were present. Ambient measurements were not a good predictor for indoor concentrations. Winter mean ambient PM10 levels were higher than fall; indoor mean PM10 levels were higher during the fall than winter. PM10 measurements from a central monitoring site were representative for PM10 levels across Ft. McKay. Air exchange measurements obtained during the fall sampling period ranged from 0.15 to 0.73 ACH.