scholarly journals Exposure to Bacterial and Fungal Aerosols: Microorganism Indices in A Waste-Sorting Plant in Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Brągoszewska
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Microbiological Contamination ◽  
Bacterial Aerosol ◽  
Internal Sources ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Airborne Microorganism

An increased understanding of airborne microorganism populations should enable a better interpretation of bioaerosol exposure found in a working environment. An assessment of the contamination levels of mesophilic bacterial aerosol (MBA) and fungal aerosol (FA) was carried out using two evaluation indices for microbiological pollution—the total index of microbiological contamination per cubic meter (TIMC/m3) and the indoor–outdoor index (IOI). An advantage of selected indices is the inclusion of several co-existing factors that have an impact on the formation of bioaerosol. When properly used, they also highlight the low efficiency of the ventilation system caused by an insufficient air exchange. In this study, the microbial air quality (MAQ) of the working environment was assessed during the spring season at a sorting plant located in Southern Poland. Sampling was undertaken in the plant using an Andersen six-stage impactor which allows the obtainment of information about the size distribution of the air microflora. The value of average concentrations of MBA and the average concentration of FA collected in the preliminary cabin of the sorting plant (PCSP) and the cleaning cabin of the sorting plant (CCSP) were analyzed. The obtained values of MBA were 1.6 times higher indoors, compared to outdoors, while FA was 1.7 times higher outdoors than indoors. The maximum TIMC/m3 value was obtained in PCSP (2626). The calculated IOI in this study suggests that MBA concentrations are influenced by internal sources, as opposed to FA. The purpose of this work was to present the usefulness of using indices in assessing air quality.

scholarly journals Application of Airborne Microorganism Indexes in Offices, Gyms, and Libraries

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Grisoli ◽  
Marco Albertoni ◽  
Marinella Rodolfi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Air Contamination ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Air Quality Valuation ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Concomitant Factors ◽  
Airborne Microorganism

The determination of microbiological air quality in sporting and working environments requires the quantification of airborne microbial contamination. The number and types of microorganisms, detected in a specific site, offer a useful index for air quality valuation. An assessment of contamination levels was carried out using three evaluation indices for microbiological pollution: the global index of microbiological contamination per cubic meter (GIMC/m3), the index of mesophilic bacterial contamination (IMC), and the amplification index (AI). These indices have the advantage of considering several concomitant factors in the formation of a microbial aerosol. They may also detect the malfunction of an air treatment system due to the increase of microbes in aeraulic ducts, or inside a building compared to the outdoor environment. In addition, they highlight the low efficiency of a ventilation system due to the excessive number of people inside a building or to insufficient air renewal. This study quantified the levels of microorganisms present in the air in different places such as offices, gyms, and libraries. The air contamination was always higher in gyms that in the other places. All examined environments are in Northern Italy.

scholarly journals Efficiency and Eco-Costs of Air Purifiers in Terms of Improving Microbiological Indoor Air Quality in Dwellings—A Case Study

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Brągoszewska ◽  
Magdalena Bogacka ◽  
Krzysztof Pikoń
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Environmental Cost ◽  
Bacterial Aerosol ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ecological Cost

Air pollution, a by-product of economic growth, generates an enormous environmental cost in Poland. The issue of healthy living spaces and indoor air quality (IAQ) is a global concern because people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. An increasingly popular method to improve IAQ is to use air purifiers (APs). Indoor air is often polluted by bioaerosols (e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi), which are a major concern for public health. This work presents research on culturable bacterial aerosol (CBA) samples collected from dwellings with or without active APs during the 2019 summer season. The CBA samples were collected using a six-stage Andersen cascade impactor (ACI). The CBA concentrations were expressed as Colony Forming Units (CFU) per cubic metre of air. The average concentration of CBA in dwellings when the AP was active was 450–570 CFU/m3, whereas the average concentration when the AP was not active was 920–1000 CFU/m3. IAQ, when the APs were active, was on average almost 50% better than in cases where there were no procedures to decrease the concentration of air pollutants. Moreover, the obtained results of the particle size distribution (PSD) of CBA indicate that the use of APs reduced the proportion of the respirable fraction (the particles < 3.3 µm) by about 16%. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to assess the ecological cost of air purification. Our conceptual approach addresses the impact of indoor air pollution on human health and estimates the ecological cost of APs and air pollution prevention policies.

Numerical and Experimental Modeling of Indoor Air Quality Inside a Conditioned Space with Mechanical Ventilation and DX-Air Conditioner

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (9A) ◽  
pp. 1257-1275
Author(s):  
Wisam M. Mareed ◽  
Hasanen M. Hussen
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Airflow Rate ◽  
Air Conditioner ◽  
Breathing Zone ◽  
Lecture Room ◽  
Ventilation Performance

 Elevated CO2 rates in a building affect the health of the occupant. This paper deals with an experimental and numerical analysis conducted in a full-scale test room located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology. The experiments and CFD were conducted for analyzing ventilation performance. It is a study on the effect of the discharge airflow rate of the ceiling type air-conditioner on ventilation performance in the lecture room with the mixing ventilation. Most obtained findings show that database and questionnaires analyzed prefer heights between 0.2 m to 1.2 m in the middle of an occupied zone and breathing zone height of between 0.75 m to 1.8 given in the literature surveyed. It is noticed the mismatch of internal conditions with thermal comfort, and indoor air quality recommended by [ASHRAE Standard 62, ANSI / ASHRAE Standard 55-2010]. CFD simulations have been carried to provide insights on the indoor air quality and comfort conditions throughout the classroom. Particle concentrations, thermal conditions, and modified ventilation system solutions are reported.

Comparison of two air sampling methods to monitor operating room air quality and assessment of air quality in two operating rooms with different ventilation systems in the national hospital of Sri Lanka

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tshokey Tshokey ◽  
Pranitha Somaratne ◽  
Suneth Agampodi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Operating Room ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Surgical Site Infections ◽  
National Hospital ◽  
Air Contamination ◽  
Acceptable Method ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Laminar Air Flow

Air contamination in the operating room (OR) is an important contributor for surgical site infections. Air quality should be assessed during microbiological commissioning of new ORs and as required thereafter. Despite many modern methods of sampling air, developing countries mostly depended on conventional methods. This was studied in two ORs of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) with different ventilation system; a conventional ventilation (CV) and a laminar air flow (LAF). Both ORs were sampled simultaneously by two different methods, the settle plate and sampler when empty and during use for a defined time period. Laboratory work was done in the Medical Research Institute. The two methods of sampling showed moderate but highly significant correlation. The OR with CV was significantly more contaminated than LAF when empty as well as during use by both methods. Overall, the difference in contamination was more significant when sampled by the sampler. Differences in contamination in empty and in-use ORs were significant in both ORs, but significance is less in LAF rooms. The consistent and significant correlation between settle plate and sampler showed that the settle plate is an acceptable method. The LAF theatre showed less contamination while empty and during use as expected. Air contamination differences were more significant when sampled with sampler indicating that it is a more sensitive method. Both CV and LAF ORs of the NHSL did not meet the contamination standards for empty theatres but met the standards for in-use indicating that the theatre etiquette was acceptable.

A Computational Analysis of Flow Field in Twin-Track Subway Tunnel to Improve Air Quality

2013 ◽  
Vol 319 ◽  
pp. 599-604
Author(s):  
Makhsuda Juraeva ◽  
Kyung Jin Ryu ◽  
Sang Hyun Jeong ◽  
Dong Joo Song
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Aerodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Subway Tunnel ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
And Performance

A computational model of existing Seoul subway tunnelwas analyzed in this research. The computational model was comprised of one natural ventilationshaft, two mechanical ventilationshafts, one mechanical airsupply, a twin-track tunnel, and a train. Understanding the flow pattern of the train-induced airflow in the tunnel was necessary to improve ventilation performance. The research objective wasto improve the air quality in the tunnel by investigating train-induced airflow in the twin-track subway tunnel numerically. The numerical analysis characterized the aerodynamic behavior and performance of the ventilation system by solving three-dimensional turbulent Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. ANSYS CFX software was used for the computations. The ventilation and aerodynamic characteristics in the tunnel were investigated by analyzing the mass flowrateat the exits of the ventilation mechanicalshafts. As the train passed the mechanical ventilation shafts, the amount of discharged-air in the ventilationshafts decreased rapidly. The air at the exits of the ventilation shafts was gradually recovered with time, after the train passed the ventilation shafts. The developed mechanical air-supply for discharging dusty air and supplying clean airwas investigated.The computational results showed that the developed mechanical air-supplycould improve the air quality in the tunnel.

Computational Modeling of Particulate Pollutant Transport in a Ventilated Room in the Presence of Two Heated Breathing and Rotating Manikins

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Ali Keshavarz ◽  
Mazyar Salmanzadeh ◽  
Goodarz Ahmadi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Rotational Motion ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Thermal Plume ◽  
Displacement Ventilation ◽  
Simulation Results

Recently, attention has been given to indoor air quality due to its serious health concerns. Clearly the dispersion of pollutant is directly affected by the airflow patterns. The airflow in indoor environment is the results of a combination of several factors. In the present study, the effects of thermal plume and respiration on the indoor air quality in a ventilated cubicle were investigated using an unsteady computational modeling approach. The person-to-person contaminant transports in a ventilated room with mixing and displacement ventilation systems were studied. The effects of rotational motion of the heated manikins were also analyzed. Simulation results showed that in the cases which rotational motion was included, the human thermal plume and associated particle transport were significantly distorted. The distortion was more noticeable for the displacement ventilation system. Also it was found that the displacement ventilation system lowered the risk of person-to-person transmission in an office space in comparison with the mixing ventilation system. On the other hand the mixing system was shown to be more effective compared to the displacement ventilation in removing the particles and pollutant that entered the room through the inlet air diffuser.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality Real-Time Monitoring in Airport Terminal Areas: An Opportunity for Sustainable Management of Micro-Climatic Parameters

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 3798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Zanni ◽  
Francesco Lalli ◽  
Eleonora Foschi ◽  
Alessandra Bonoli ◽  
Luca Mantecchini
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Electronic Monitoring ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Real Time Monitoring ◽  
Airport Terminal ◽  
Air Ventilation ◽  
Gaseous Contaminants

Indoor air quality (IAQ) management in public spaces is assuming a remarkable importance. Busy environments, like airport terminals, are currently regarded as possible hotspots and IAQ is a crucial element for passengers and staff protection, as well as a key aspect of airport passenger experience. A one-month monitoring period has been performed on IAQ in the airport of Bologna (Italy), as prototypal example of large regional airport. Four strategic areas within the airport have been equipped with electronic monitoring platforms, including different contaminants and two microclimatic sensors. Data suggest that daily variation in IAQ parameters typically follow the activity pattern of the different environments under study (i.e., passengers’ flows) for gaseous contaminants, where particulate matter counts oscillate in a definite range, with a significant role played by ventilation system. Gaseous contaminants show a correlation between indoor and outdoor concentrations, mainly due to airside activities. Micro-climatic comfort parameters have been tested to match with standards for commercial environments. As results appears in line with typical households IAQ values, the current air ventilation system appears to be adequate. Nevertheless, an integrated air management system, based on real-time monitoring, would lead to optimization and improvement in environmental and economical sustainability.

scholarly journals Assessment of Building Automation and Control Systems in Danish Healthcare Facilities in the COVID-19 Era

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Jeanette Maria Pedersen ◽  
Farah Jebaei ◽  
Muhyiddine Jradi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Building Automation ◽  
Efficient Operation ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Automation And Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
Indoor Conditions ◽  
The Impact

A well-designed and properly operated building automation and control system (BACS) is key to attaining energy-efficient operation and optimal indoor conditions. In this study, three healthcare facilities of a different type, age, and use are considered as case studies to investigate the functionalities of BACS in providing optimal air quality and thermal comfort. IBACSA, the first-of-its-kind instrument for BACS assessment and smartness evaluation, is used to evaluate the current systems and their control functionalities. The BACS assessment is reported and analyzed. Then, three packages of improvements were implemented in the three cases, focusing on (1) technical systems enhancement, (2) indoor air quality and comfort, and (3) energy efficiency. It was found that the ventilation system domain is the best performer in the three considered cases with an overall score of 52%, 89% and 91% in Case A, B, and C,, respectively. On the other hand, domestic hot water domain scores are relatively low, indicating that this is an area where Danish healthcare facilities need to provide more concentration on. A key finding indicated by the assessment performed is that the three buildings score relatively very low when it comes to the impact criteria of energy flexibility and storage.

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