Development of an indoor air quality checklist for risk assessment of indoor air pollutants by semiquantitative score in nonindustrial workplaces

Indoor air quality is associated with academic performance and harmful health effects on students and teachers who participate in the classroom. Outdoor sources always contribute to classroom air quality. This study aims to estimate the amounts of indoor and outdoor pollutants and the influence of outdoor sources on open-air classrooms in a school located in the city. A health risk assessment was applied to assess the non-carcinogenic risk to students and teachers from exposure to the pollutants in the classroom. The concentrations of indoor NO2 ranged between 46.40 and 77.83 µg/m3, which is about 0.8 times that of outdoor NO2. A strong correlation and a high indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio (>0.5) without a source, indicated that indoor NO2 is significantly influenced by outdoor sources. The range of indoor PM2.5 concentrations was 1.66 to 31.52 µg/m3 which was influenced by meteorological conditions. The indoor PM2.5 concentrations were affected by both indoor and outdoor sources. Although the level of indoor air pollutants met the official standard, the young children were exposed to indoor air pollutants which were above the recommended limits to human health with regard to the hazard index (HI) of 1.12. Instant measures such as regularly cleaning the classrooms, zoning the students, and installation of solid and vegetation barriers are recommended to reduce the daily dose of pollutants affecting students in open-air classrooms.

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INDOOR AIR QUALITY OF A CAFETERIA WITH A ROTOR TURBINE VENTILATOR (RTV) AND CROSS-CORRELATIONS BETWEEN INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS, OCCUPANCY RATE AND METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS

Environmental Engineering and Management Journal ◽

10.30638/eemj.2018.204 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 17 (9) ◽

pp. 2051-2059 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sibel Mentese ◽

Osman Cotuker ◽

Burak Selcuk

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Meteorological Parameters ◽

Occupancy Rate ◽

Cross Correlations ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

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Reducing Asthma Triggers in Schools: Recommendations for Effective Policies, Regulations, and Legislation

NEW SOLUTIONS A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy ◽

10.2190/24eg-2m2u-la0g-43bt ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 87-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joan N. Parker ◽

Mary Lee Dunn

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Causal Relationship ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Environmental Pollutants ◽

Asthma Prevalence ◽

School Building ◽

Indoor Pollutants ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

While 31 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, children are most severely affected. Asthma also is common among teachers, indicating that the school building environment may be associated with asthma prevalence among occupants. Children are sensitive to environmental pollutants, which are more concentrated in indoor air environments. Schools are a significant source of indoor air pollutants. Yet little research has addressed the causal relationship between asthma and specific levels of indoor pollutants. Indoor air quality is seldom controlled in schools in a way that minimizes such exposures. While few laws limit indoor air pollutants in schools, some laws outline or mandate practices that can control exposures. This report presents recommendations for laws and regulations that control and, ideally, prevent indoor air quality problems and aims to reduce or mitigate such disease.

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INDOOR AIR QUALITY AT HIGHER INSTITUTION’S LABORATORY: A STUDY ON PRE-SYMPTOMS, AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG OCCUPANTS

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v77.4272 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohamad Romizan Osman ◽

Azman Azid ◽

Hafizan Juahir ◽

Kamaruzzaman Yunus ◽

Mohammad Azizi Amran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Discriminant Analysis ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Health Problem ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Personality Tests ◽

Higher Institution ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants ◽

The Impact

This study intends to show the effectiveness of indoor air quality (IAQ) at the higher institution laboratory. The objective is to determine the impact of current IAQ, to study the occupants’ knowledge in the indoor air pollutants and to identify the significance of occupants’ personality regarding the IAQ awareness. 100 respondents had responded to answer the questionnaires given. The questionnaires were analysed using XLSTAT2014 software for descriptive statistic and discriminant analysis in order to fulfil the outlined objectives. The finding shows that 56% of the respondents know about IAQ, while 40% and 4% did not know and not sure about the IAQ, respectively. By gender, there were 20 of male respondents having the IAQ knowledge and 21 of male respondents did not know about the IAQ. Meanwhile, 36 of female respondents have IAQ knowledge, 19 of female respondents did not know the IAQ knowledge and 4 of female respondents were not sure regarding the IAQ knowledge. Furthermore, the IAQ in the laboratory at the higher institution is considered as unhealthy based on the respondents’ complaints of their health problem symptoms. Meanwhile, the results of personality tests show that women have more IAQ awareness compared to men. It indicated that the personalities of the occupants have significance to influence and able to determine their awareness on the IAQ. Hence, it described that IAQ is a significant factor to determine and influence the health of laboratory occupants.

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The Development of Wool-Based Passive Filters Toimprove Indoor Air Quality

Key Engineering Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.671.219 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 671 ◽

pp. 219-224 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steve J. McNeil ◽

Larissa I. Zaitseva

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

High Surface ◽

Surface Areas ◽

Passive Filters ◽

Forced Air ◽

Materials Used ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

It is well known that wool carpets and upholstery permanently remove many gaseous pollutants from the air, thus improving indoor air quality, and peoples’ wellbeing. The aim of the work reported here was to develop wool-based filters that could be used in homes and offices to improve indoor air quality. The abilities of wool, jute, and some other materials used in building interiors, to absorb common indoor air pollutants, formaldehyde, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides were compared. Testing was conducted in a chamber that reproduced the conditions found in a typical room. Wool and jute were found to give high levels of absorption and the results were used to design six types of wool-based filters that were intended to be compact, with high rates and capacities of absorption. The filters were passive, relying on high surface areas and diffusion, rather than forced air circulation, thus minimising their net environmental impact. Filters based on wool yarn, roving, balls and unbacked carpet, were all very effective, absorbing between 94 and 96% of the air pollutants over six hours. This study has shown that wool-based passive filters can significantly improve indoor air quality, and represent a new use for wool.

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Current State of Indoor Air Phytoremediation Using Potted Plants and Green Walls

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12040473 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 473

Author(s):

Samaneh Bandehali ◽

Taghi Miri ◽

Helen Onyeaka ◽

Prashant Kumar

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Human Health ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Potted Plants ◽

Green Walls ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

Urban civilization has a high impact on the environment and human health. The pollution level of indoor air can be 2–5 times higher than the outdoor air pollution, and sometimes it reaches up to 100 times or more in natural/mechanical ventilated buildings. Even though people spend about 90% of their time indoors, the importance of indoor air quality is less noticed. Indoor air pollution can be treated with techniques such as chemical purification, ventilation, isolation, and removing pollutions by plants (phytoremediation). Among these techniques, phytoremediation is not given proper attention and, therefore, is the focus of our review paper. Phytoremediation is an affordable and more environmentally friendly means to purify polluted indoor air. Furthermore, studies show that indoor plants can be used to regulate building temperature, decrease noise levels, and alleviate social stress. Sources of indoor air pollutants and their impact on human health are briefly discussed in this paper. The available literature on phytoremediation, including experimental works for removing volatile organic compound (VOC) and particulate matter from the indoor air and associated challenges and opportunities, are reviewed. Phytoremediation of indoor air depends on the physical properties of plants such as interfacial areas, the moisture content, and the type (hydrophobicity) as well as pollutant characteristics such as the size of particulate matter (PM). A comprehensive summary of plant species that can remove pollutants such as VOCs and PM is provided. Sources of indoor air pollutants, as well as their impact on human health, are described. Phytoremediation and its mechanism of cleaning indoor air are discussed. The potential role of green walls and potted-plants for improving indoor air quality is examined. A list of plant species suitable for indoor air phytoremediation is proposed. This review will help in making informed decisions about integrating plants into the interior building design.

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