Particulate matter levels in Portugal (mainland and islands). A preliminary study for outdoor/indoor environment in basic schools.

This study deals with Particle Matter (PM) levels below 2.5 ?m (PM2.5) in Portugal andshows that US EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) directive is exceeded ina few places. PM2.5 total mass concentration measured in several places located in Portugalmainland and islands and the outskirts are quite well correlated for a few sites. Results showthat it is important to determine the elemental composition of PM2.5, and to develop anepidemiological study in Portugal to find a possible association between PM2.5 levels, sourcesand morbidity/mortality. However, the results imply that a source-oriented evaluation of PMhealth effects needs to take into account the uncertainty associated with the spatialrepresentativity of the species measured at a few sampling stations. For that purpose thesurvey using biomonitors may contribute positively.