scholarly journals Effect of Air Purification Systems on Particulate Matter and Airborne Bacteria in Public Buses

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Jae Jung Lee ◽  
Hyemin Hwang ◽  
Suk Chan Hong ◽  
Jae Young Lee
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Air Purification ◽  
Airborne Bacteria ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10

The indoor air quality in public transport systems is a major concern in South Korea. Within this context, we investigated the effect of air purification systems on the indoor air quality of intercity buses, one of the most popular transport options in South Korea. Air purifiers were custom designed and equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to remove particulate matter and ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) to remove airborne bacteria. To investigate the effectiveness of the air purification systems, we compared concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), airborne bacteria, and carbon dioxide (CO2) in six buses (three with air purification systems and three without) along three bus routes (BUS1, BUS2, BUS3) in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, between 6 April and 4 May 2021. Compared to the buses without air purification, those with air purification systems showed 34–60% and 25–61% lower average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. In addition, buses with air purification systems had 24–78% lower average airborne bacteria concentrations compared to those without air purification systems (when measured after 30 min of initial purification).

scholarly journals Effect of Air Purifier Use in the Classrooms on Indoor Air Quality—Case Study

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1606
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Basińska ◽  
Michał Michałkiewicz ◽  
Katarzyna Ratajczak
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Purification ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Microscopic Fungi ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Air Purifier ◽  
High Level

Dissatisfaction with indoor air quality is common even in relatively new or renovated Polish school buildings. To improve air quality in educational buildings, portable devices have seen increased use, for which manufacturers guarantee a high level of indoor air purification. However, their optimized operation largely depends on their correct use. The aim of this article was to determine the effectiveness of air purification in a primary school using an air purification device with an analysis of the classroom indoor air quality (IAQ). Two criteria were used, microbiological and particulate matter concentration. Measurements were made before device installation and during its continuous operation, and before and after lessons on chosen days. Measurements related to IAQ did not detect clear differences in the analyzed measurement periods. For microbiological contamination, in the morning before lessons, the total count for all bacteria and microscopic fungi was definitely lower than after lessons. Comparing the periods before and after device installation, no clear tendency for reducing the bacteria count or microscopic fungi occurred during air purifier operation, nor was there any noticeable trend in the reduction of particulate matter. There was no improvement in air quality in the classrooms during the operation of the purification devices.

scholarly journals The Way of Usage and Location in a Big City Agglomeration as Impact Factors of the Nurseries Indoor Air Quality

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (22) ◽  
pp. 7534
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Basińska ◽  
Katarzyna Ratajczak ◽  
Michał Michałkiewicz ◽  
Paweł Fuć ◽  
Maciej Siedlecki
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Outdoor Air ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10 ◽  
The Impact

The quality of outdoor air in many places, especially in urbanized areas, is bad; therefore, a series of studies aimed at assessing the impact of outdoor air parameters on indoor air quality was conducted. Four nurseries (three buildings) located in different parts of Poznań, Poland were selected as research sites. During the research period, the concentrations of CO2, PM2.5, and PM10 inside and outside the buildings over time were analyzed. Measurements outside the buildings were supplemented with an analysis of traffic near nurseries and an assessment of pollutant emissions from vehicles of various categories. Measurements were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in a weekly series during winter (December)—(W), spring (April)—(S), and at the end of spring (June)—(LS). Testing and analyses indicated poor indoor air quality in three out of four nurseries. To ensure indoor air quality at the proper level, it is necessary to supply rooms with outside air. Ventilating rooms by airing, when the outside air is polluted, reduces the CO2 concentration but worsens the indoor air quality in terms of particulate matter (PM). Seasonality in the concentration of particulate matter in outdoor air and its connection with the outside air temperature was noticed. No relationship between traffic and the values of PM10 and CO2 concentrations inside nurseries was observed.

Assessment of the indoor air quality based on airborne bacteria and fungi measurements in a public school of Istanbul

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuket Sivri ◽  
Ahmet Ozgur Dogru ◽  
Arzu Funda Bagcigil ◽  
Kemal Metiner ◽  
Dursun Zafer Seker
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Public School ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Airborne Bacteria ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi

scholarly journals Evaluation of Effects of the Humidity Level-Based Auto-Controlled Centralized Exhaust Ventilation Systems on Thermal Comfort of Multi-Family Residential Buildings in South Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4791
Author(s):  
Kwag ◽  
Park ◽  
Kim ◽  
Kim
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Humidity Level ◽  
Exhaust Ventilation ◽  
Air Tightness ◽  
Ventilation Systems

Building air-tightness has been increased to make energy efficient buildings. However, various indoor air quality issues can be caused by high building air-tightness because it allows low air and moisture transmission through building envelop. In order to solve and prevent these issues, mechanical ventilation systems can be used to control the indoor humidity level. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performances of the Relative Humidity (RH)-sensor based auto-controlled centralized exhaust ventilation systems to manage indoor air quality and thermal comfort of multi-family residential buildings in South Korea. A series of field tests were performed for different target zones and for various moisture source scenarios. As a result, it was found that the auto-controlled centralized exhaust ventilation systems were able to control indoor air quality and to maintain the zones thermal comfort faster than the baseline cases that did not operate exhaust vents. The results presented in this paper can show the potential and the feasibility of the auto-controlled centralized exhaust ventilation systems for multi-family residential buildings in South Korea. It is expected that the results presented in this paper would be useful for building owners, engineers, and architects when designing building systems.

scholarly journals Residents’ Perceptions of and Response Behaviors to Particulate Matter—A Case Study in Seoul, Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (18) ◽  
pp. 3660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung Eun Cho ◽  
Mi Jeong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Psychological Attributes ◽  
Mitigation Action ◽  
Response Behaviors

This study is interested in understanding the particulate matter perceptions and response behaviors of residents. The purpose of this study was to identify indoor air quality along with the response behaviors of residents in Seoul, to ascertain whether there is a difference in behaviors when particulate matter is present, according to the characteristics of residents and to grasp the nature of this difference. A questionnaire survey of 171 respondents was conducted. The questionnaire measured the indoor air quality perceived by residents, the health symptoms caused by particulate matter, residents’ response behaviors to particulate matter and the psychological attributes affecting those response behaviors. Residents of Seoul were divided into college students in their twenties, male workers in their thirties and forties and female housewives in their thirties and forties. The data were calibrated by SPSS 23 using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analyses. The results show that most people found particulate matter to be an important problem but were unable to do sufficient mitigation action to prevent its presence. Residents showed greater psychological stress resulting in difficulty going out than physical symptoms. The most influential factor on response behaviors was psychological attributes. Participants were aware of the risks of particulate matter but believed it to be generated by external factors; thus, they felt powerless to do anything about it, which proved to be an obstacle to response behaviors.

Bioactive Nano-Filters to Control Legionella on Indoor Air

2012 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
pp. 23-26
Author(s):  
P.A.F. Rodrigues ◽  
S.I.V. Sousa ◽  
Maria José Geraldes ◽  
M.C.M. Alvim-Ferraz ◽  
F.G. Martins
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Public Health Issue

Several factors affect the indoor air quality, among which ventilation, human occupancy, cleaning products, equipment and material; they might induce the presence of aerosols (or bioaerosols in the presence of biological components) nitrogen oxides, ozone, carbon monoxide and dioxide, volatile organic compounds, radon and microorganisms. Microbiological pollution involves hundreds of bacteria and fungi species that grow indoors under specific conditions of temperature and humidity. Exposure to microbial contaminants is clinically associated with allergies, asthma, immune responses and respiratory infections, such as Legionnaires Disease and Pontiac Feaver, which are due to contamination byLegionella pneumophila. Legionnaire's Disease has increased over the past decade, because of the use of central air conditioning. In places such as homes, kindergartens, nursing homes and hospitals, indoor air pollution affects population groups that are particularly vulnerable because of their health status or age, making indoor air pollution a public health issue of high importance. Therefore, the implementation of preventive measures, as the application of air filters, is fundamental. Currently, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are the most used to capture microorganisms in ventilation, filtration and air conditioning systems; nevertheless, as they are not completely secure, new filters should be developed. This work aims to present how the efficiency of a textile nanostructure in a non-woven material based on synthetic textiles (high hydrophobic fibers) incorporating appropriate biocides to controlLegionella pneumophila, is going to be measured. These bioactive structures, to be used in ventilation systems, as well as in respiratory protective equipment, will reduce the growth of microorganisms in the air through bactericidal or bacteriostatic action. The filter nanostructure should have good air permeability, since it has to guarantee minimum flows of fresh air for air exchange as well as acceptable indoor air quality.

scholarly journals A Study of Indoor Air Quality in Refurbished Museum Building

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 2596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syahrun Neizam Mohd Dzullkiflli ◽  
Abd Halid Abdullah ◽  
Lee Yee Yong ◽  
Abdul Mutalib Leman ◽  
Samiullah Sohu
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Gaseous Pollutant ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
New Buildings

Problem related with indoor air quality (IAQ), is rapidly becoming a major health issue as people spend almost 90% of their time indoors. Museums were established in Malaysia more than hundred years ago. Since the year 2005, Malaysia has been moving away from constructing new buildings in favour of refurbishing historic and old ones. A healthy environment at the museum building has been identified as one of the important element that must been considered, but it is not sure either IAQ in the museum building provide a good air quality or not. The purpose of this study is to determine the actual indoor environment of the museum building in Melaka. In this study, the IAQ measurement were conduct for six days at the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum and at the History and Ethnography Museum. During the measurement, IAQ parameters of gaseous pollutant of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, and particulate matter of fine particles were recorded by using specific IAQ equipment. The finding of this study indicates that the distance of buildings from roadways appears to have an impact on indoor environmental levels, especially for nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. Based on the results, only gaseous pollutant of sulfur dioxide had not exceeding the acceptable TLV compared to the other IAQ pollutants.

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