Modern people spent nearly 90% of their time indoor, and therefore, indoor air quality can directly affect our health. Recently, air quality has been much more emphasized than ever. Since 1970s, many studies have shown that the indoor air quality (IAQ) at urban areas can be worse than the outdoor air quality. To investigate the current condition of urban indoor air quality as well as differences between various types of public venues, this study used either a direct-reading instrument or the method proposed by the Taiwan Environmental Administration (TWEPA) for monitoring indoor air quality. The acquired data were used for variation analysis of indoor air quality of different public venues. Fifteen public venues were selected in this study for monitoring their indoor air quality, and among these 15 public venues, four of them are Category I venues, while the remaining eleven are Category II venues. The measurement was conducted twice at each of the public venue, and the monitored pollutants are CO2, CO, HCHO, TVOC, O3, PM10, PM2.5, bacteria, fungi, humidity, and temperature. The results suggested that there were nine public venues in the first sampling and seven public venues in the second sampling with indoor air pollutant concentrations exceeding the standards. Furthermore, the concentrations of CO2, CO, and O3, from the two measurements exceeded the indoor air quality standards. Therefore, CO2, CO, and O3can be considered as the main contributors to the poor indoor air quality of public venues. The high concentrations of CO2and O3indoor are related to population density and the use of O3generating machines, printers, or photocopiers. As for CO, the high concentration is because of the spread of exhaust gases from vehicles or factories may penetrate from outside to the indoor.
Relationship between residential indoor air quality and socioeconomic factors in two urban areas in Alexandria, Egypt
