Impact of Air-Purifying Plants on the Reduction of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Indoor Hot Desert Climate

Due to hot desert weather, residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spend 90% of their time indoors, and the interior environment of the newly built apartments with inappropriate material and ventilation is causing sick building syndrome (SBS), faster than in any other country. NASA studies on indoor air pollutants indicate that the usage of 15–18 air-purifying plants in 18–24 cm diameter containers can clean the air in an average 167.2 m2 house (approximately one plant per 9.2 m2). This study investigates the effect of three different types of air-purifying plants, Pachira aquatica, Ficus benjamina, and Aglaonema commutatum, in reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde (CH2O) in hot desert climate. An experiment is performed in which the CH2O and VOCs concentrations are measured in two laboratory spaces (Room 1 and Room 2). Different volumes (5 and 10% of the laboratory volume) of target plants are installed in Room 1, whereas Room 2 is measured under the same conditions without plants for comparison. The results show that the greater the planting volume (10%), the greater is the reduction effect of each VOCs. In summer in hot desert climate, the initial concentration (800 µg/cm3) of CH2O and VOCs is higher, and the reduction amount is higher (534.5 µg/cm3) as well. The reduction amount of CH2O and toluene (C7H8) is particularly high. In the case of C7H8, the reduction amount (45.9 µg/cm3) is higher in summer with Aglaonema commutatum and Ficus benjamina. It is statistically proven that Ficus benjamina is most effective in reducing CH2O and C7H8 in an indoor space in hot desert climate. The findings of this study can serve as basic data for further improving the indoor air quality using only air-purifying plants in hot desert climate of the United Arab Emirates.

PERSEPSI MASYARAKAT AWAM TERHADAP STANDAR DESAIN DAN KESIAPAN NEW-NORMAL PADA BIOSKOP DI INDONESIA

Wabah COVID 19 telah membuat banyak perubahan di segala sektor. Demi tetap berjalannya perekonomian, beberapa tempat usaha dan ruang publik lainnya dibuka di akhir tahun 2020, walau dalam kenyataannya Indonesia masih dalam status darurat COVID 19. Pemerintah sudah menyatakan ”berkawanlah dengan covid”, namun hal ini bukan berarti masyarakat menjadi tidak hati-hati dan tidak peduli dengan isu kesehatan. Segala aktifitas di ruang publik tetap perlu dibatasi dan disesuaikan dengan standar protokol kesehatan yang baru. Salah satu ruang publik yang akan beroperasi akhir tahun ini adalah bioskop. Sebagian masyarakat sudah merasa aman, namun beberapa juga masih meragukan mengingat persyaratan ruang bioskop yang harus tertutup, tidak ada pencahayaan dan penghawaan alami demi kualitas visual dan akustik di dalamnya, serta kemungkinnan berkumpulnya banyak orang dalam satu ruangan tertutup dalam durasi dua hingga tiga jam. Kurangnya sirkulasi udara juga menjadi salah satu penyebab sick building syndrome, namun bukan berarti hal ini tidak dapat diatasi dengan desain arsitektural.Metode yang dilakukan pada penelitian ini secara umum deskriptif kuantitatif dengan menyebarkan quisioner pada 117 responden yang usianya berkisar antara 17-59 tahun. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk merangkum persepsi masyarakat awam mengenai standar new normal, penerapan protocol kesehatan, serta desain interior bioskop yang memberikan kenyamanan dan rasa aman bagi pengguna

Indoor Air Quality and Health Outcomes in Employees Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has a substantial impact on public health. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, more employees have worked remotely from home to minimize in-person contacts. This pilot study aims to measure the difference in workplace IAQ before and during the pandemic and its impact on employees’ health. The levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and total volatile organic chemicals (tVOC) were measured in the employees’ offices before the COVID-19 pandemic and at homes while working from home during the pandemic using Foobot air monitors. The frequencies of six sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms were evaluated at each period of monitoring. The result showed PM2.5 levels in households while working from home were significantly higher than in offices while working at the office for all participants (p < 0.05). The PM2.5 levels in all households exceeded the health-based annual mean standard (12 µg/m3), whereas 90% of offices were in compliance. The tVOC levels were all below the standard (500 µg/m3). We also found a higher frequency of SBS symptoms were observed while working from home as the IAQ was worse at home. This study suggested that working from home might have a detrimental health impact due to poor IAQ and providing interventions to remote employees should be considered.

Evaluation of air quality in office rooms (case study: the rector’s office building of Syiah Kuala University)

The Rector’s Office Building of Syiah Kuala University is the administrative headquarters at Syiah Kuala University which has a high density schedule. Employees in the building, work for 8 hours a day in the building. Staying in a room for an extended period of time can lead to disease, particularly Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Poor air quality as a result of air pollution and poor air exchange is the primary cause of SBS. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the air quality in the room to prevent SBS. This research was conducted with a quantitative approach by measuring the physical and chemical quality of the indoor air. The study was conducted on two sample rooms, namely the administration room and the student affairs office. The method of collecting data is descriptive by evaluating based on the regulations of the minister of health and SNI. Air quality is also seen based on the results of room simulations using ANSYS 2019 R3. Based on the results of field measurements, the air quality in the room is not good. Thus, 60% of the employees in the Administration Room and 64.71% of the employees in the Student Affairs Office were infected with SBS.