Abstract
This study evaluates the mass concentration and chemical composition of particulate matter (PM), collected in the chamber complex of the underground health resort located in the Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland. Physical and chemical properties of PM were examined from the standpoint of their possible connection with therapeutic effects of the subterranean air in the mine. We found that in three underground spots we measured the average concentration of PM did not exceed 30 μg/m3. Chemical composition of PM was dominated by sodium chloride, making up 88 % of its mass, on average. It was shown that the underground ambient concentration of PM and its chemical composition depended mostly on the nature of the rock material present in the ventilation tunnel of the health resort, filtering the incoming air. The presence and effect of external sources of PM, including patients’ activity, also had an impact on the underground PM concentration.
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Acknowledgements
Data analysis was supported by the DEC-2013/09/N/ST10/04224 project, which was financed by the National Science Center.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest in relation to this article.
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Rogula-Kozłowska, W., Kostrzon, M., Rogula-Kopiec, P., Badyda, A.J. (2016). Particulate Matter in the Air of the Underground Chamber Complex of the Wieliczka Salt Mine Health Resort. In: Pokorski, M. (eds) Pathobiology of Pulmonary Disorders. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(), vol 955. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2016_176
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2016_176
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