Evaluation and impact factors of indoor and outdoor gas-phase nitrous acid under different environmental conditions

Abstract As an important indoor pollutant, nitrous acid (HONO) can contribute to the concentration of indoor OH radicals by photolysis via sunlight penetrating into indoor environments, thus affecting the indoor oxidizing capability. In order to investigate the concentration of indoor HONO and its impact factors, three different indoor environments and two different locations in urban and suburban areas were selected to monitor indoor and outdoor pollutants simultaneously, including HONO, NO, NO2, nitrogen oxides (NOx), O3, and particle mass concentration. In general, the concentration of indoor HONO was higher than that outdoors. In the urban area, indoor HONO with high average concentration (7.10 ppbV) was well-correlated with the temperature. In the suburban area, the concentration of indoor HONO was only about 1-2 ppbV, and had a good correlation with indoor relative humidity. It was mainly attributed to the heterogeneous reaction of NO2 on indoor surfaces. The sunlight penetrating into indoor environments from outside had a great influence on the concentration of indoor HONO, leading to a concentration of indoor HONO close to that outdoors.