Abstract
Conducting a full indoor air quality (IAQ) assessment in air-conditioned offices requires large-scale material and manpower resources. However, an IAQ index can be adopted as a handy screening tool to identify any premises (with poor IAQ) that need more comprehensive IAQ assessments to prioritize IAQ improvements. This study proposes a step-wise IAQ screening protocol to facilitate its cost-effective management among building owners and managers. The effectiveness of three IAQ indices, namely θ1 (with one parameter: CO2), θ2 (with two parameters: CO2 and respirable suspended particulates, RSP) and θ3 (with three parameters: CO2, RSP, and total volatile organic compounds, TVOC) are evaluated. Compared in a pairwise manner with respect to the minimum satisfaction levels as stated in the IAQ Certification Scheme by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department, the results show that a screening test with more surrogate IAQ parameters is good at identifying both lower and higher risk groups for unsatisfactory IAQ, and thus offers higher resolution. Through the sensitivity and specificity for identifying IAQ problems, the effectiveness of alternative IAQ screening methods with different monitoring parameters is also reported.
Highlights
Modern people spend over 90% of their time indoors [1]
This study demonstrates that using some dominant indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters for pre-assessment can identify undesirable IAQ with engineering acceptable accuracy
According to the threshold approach by Pauker and Kassirer [12], while no action is required for maintaining the IAQ level if the post-test probability P0 d of unsatisfactory IAQ is below the testing threshold, immediate remediation should be given to improve the IAQ level if P0 d is above the test–treatment threshold
Summary
Modern people spend over 90% of their time indoors [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 3.8 million premature deaths attributed to poor household indoor air quality (IAQ), contributing approximately 6.8% of the global mortality [2]. Growing concern about IAQ in workplaces, enclosed public places, and residential buildings have been received [3,4], which mainly focus on the potential health effects and the economic consequences of prolonged exposure to indoor air pollutants. In Hong Kong, a majority of people work in an indoor environment. In view of the increasing IAQ concerns and complaints [5,6], there is an urgent need of a practical diagnostic tool for proper IAQ management
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