Indoor ozone and nitrogen dioxide concentration in two museums of the São Paulo megacity - Brazil

Abstract

This paper reports and discusses O3 and NO2 concentration data collected between 2009 and 2011 in the indoor environments of two important Brazilian museums located in the megalopolis of São Paulo: the University of São Paulo History Museum (Museu Paulista, MP) and the São Paulo State Art Museum (Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, PE). Two techniques were used to obtain the target information: continuous automatic monitors and passive sampling, the latter being tested as a possible routine approach to the museum monitoring. In the MP, both pollutants are found at concentrations that in the best situation reach 50% of the outdoor concentrations, with some visible differences between more or less internal areas. This confirms that the museum exhibits broad air exchange which leads to potential risks for the collection and ought to be regarded as a priority in the museum environmental management strategies. In the Art Museum, filtration and air conditioning systems do result in improvements in the air quality in terms of O3 and NO2, especially in the storage area. Yet, the safety standards for this type of microenvironment are not always maintained especially on account of the close proximity of the museum building to intense traffic roads.