Abstract: Atmospheric total suspended particulate (TSP) was passively sampled by means of deployed horizontal and vertical filters in various rooms of four Belgian cultural heritage buildings, installed with various heating/ventilation systems. Soiling/blackening and deposition of inorganic, water-soluble aerosol components were considered. The extent of soiling was determined by means of two independent methods: (1) in terms of the covering rate of the samplers by optical reflection microscopy and (2) the reduction in lightness of the samplers using the CIE L*a*b* color space by spectrophotometry. A fairly good correlation was found between both methods. The inorganic composition of the deposited water-soluble TSP was quantified by means of ion chromatography. Compared to controlled environments, uncontrolled environments showed increased water-soluble aerosol content of the total deposited mass. Higher chloride deposition was observed on horizontal surfaces, compared to vertical surfaces.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation)
Impact Factor: 4.9
Times cited: 12
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2014.11.018