Indoor environment and the blood pressure of elderly in the cold region of China

Abstract

This study investigated the indoor environment of urban and rural elderly residential dwellings in Dalian and Beijing during the heating period in 2017–2018. Each dwelling was assessed for temperature, relative humidity, air pollution and biological pollution, as well as blood pressure parameters related to the health of the elderly. The results showed that the temperature in urban dwellings was higher and more stable than that in rural dwellings, due to the difference in heating devices. Indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in some dwellings exceeded the limit. Indoor formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOC) were lower than the limit values, while urban dwellings had more formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) pollution than rural dwellings. For rural houses, indoor fuel combustion resulted in higher concentrations of particulate matter below 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and higher concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO). The biological pollution in rural areas was generally higher than in urban areas. The blood pressure of the elderly in rural areas was higher than that in urban areas, and blood pressure was found to be negatively correlated with room temperature and positively correlated with relative humidity. These results can provide an indicator for the improvement of housing environmental quality for older people in China.