Investigation Of Air Quality Research Articles

Investigation of air pollution mitigation measures, ventilation, and indoor air quality at three schools in London

In UK urban areas, due to ease of accessibility and convenience, many schools are located close to main busy roads. This often results in pollution hotspots around schools due to on-road vehicular pollutant emissions, especially during drop-off and pick-up times of students to and from schools. As well as being exposed to air pollutants in the school grounds, students are also exposed indoors. Thus, the need for scientific investigations focusing on mitigation of air pollution exposure indoors and outdoors for schools has significantly increased. The main objectives of the present study were therefore to: 1) obtain a clearer understanding of the extent of the air pollution problem inside and around schools and the factors that affect it; and 2) determine how it may be mitigated effectively using a range of interventions. These were achieved by carrying out monitoring of air pollution and associated parameters in and around three primary schools in London, UK. The study investigated the exposure reduction potential of various interventions, such as green screens, air purifiers, and school streets. A good understanding was obtained of the improvement in air quality that was achieved by the interventions both inside and outside the classrooms in the three schools. A green screen along the fences of the school reduced PM concentration by up to 44% in the playground. Installing air purifiers in a classroom resulted in lowering in PM concentration of about 57%. The school street initiative decreased PM concentration by about 36% in front of the school during pick up time. From the overall findings, practical recommendations have been included, as far as has been possible, that will enable formal guidance to be produced to help improve air quality in and around UK schools.

Heavy metals in moss guide environmental justice investigation: A case study using community science in Seattle, WA, USA

AbstractHeavy metal concentrations often vary at small spatial scales not captured by air monitoring networks, with implications for environmental justice in industrial‐adjacent communities. Pollutants measured in moss tissues are commonly used as a screening tool to guide use of more expensive resources, like air monitors. Such studies, however, rarely address environmental justice issues or involve the residents and other decision makers expected to utilize results. Here, we piloted a community science approach, engaging over 55 people from nine institutions, to map heavy metals using moss in two industrial‐adjacent neighborhoods. This area, long known for disproportionately poor air quality, health outcomes, and racial inequities, has only one monitor for heavy metals. Thus, an initial understanding of spatial patterns is critical for gauging whether, where, and how to invest further resources toward investigating heavy metals. Local youth‐led sampling of the moss Orthotrichum lyellii from trees across a 250 × 250 m sampling grid (n = 79) and generated data comparable to expert‐collected samples (n = 19). We mapped 21 chemical elements measured in moss, including 6 toxic “priority” metals: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, and nickel. Compared to other urban O. lyellii studies, local moss had substantially higher priority metals, especially arsenic and chromium, encouraging community members to investigate further. Potential hotspots of priority metals varied somewhat but tended to peak near the central industrial core where many possible emission sources, including legacy contamination and converge. Informed by these findings, community members successfully advocated regulators for a second study phase—a community‐directed air monitoring campaign to evaluate residents' exposure to heavy metals—as is needed to connect moss results back to the partnership's core goal of understanding drivers of health disparities. This follow‐up campaign will measure metals in the PM10 fraction owing to clues in the current study that airborne soil and dust may be locally important carriers of priority metals. Future work will address how our approach combining bioindicators and community science ultimately affects success addressing longstanding environmental justice concerns. For now, we illustrate the potential to co‐create new knowledge, to help catalyze and strategize next steps, in a complex air quality investigation.

Investigation of indoor and outdoor air quality in a university campus during COVID-19 lock down period

The pandemic of COVID-19 currently shadows the world; the whole earth has been on an unprecedented lockdown. Social distancing among people interrupted domestic and international air traffic, suspended industrial productions and economic activities, and had various far-reaching and undetermined implications on air quality. Improvement in air quality has been reported in many cities during the lockdown. On March 22, 2020, the Turkish government enforced strict lockdown measures to reduce coronavirus disease transmission. This lockdown had a significant impact on the movement of people within the country, which resulted in a major drop in worldwide commercial activities. During this period, university campuses were emptied due to the transition to distance education. In this study, various air pollutants sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), total bacteria, and total fungi were measured in different indoor environments at Eskişehir Technical University Campus in Eskişehir, Turkey during COVID-19 lock down period. Also, to calculate the indoor and outdoor ratios (I/O) of the pollutants, simultaneous outdoor measurements were also carried out. The average indoor SO2, NO2, O3, and PM2.5 concentrations in different indoor environments ranged between 2.10 and 54.58, 1.36–30.89, 12.01–39.05, and 21–94 μg/m3, respectively. The total number of bacteria and fungi ranged between 21.83-514.15 and 13.10–83.36 CFU/m3, respectively. Our study intends to give a glimpse to quantify the impact of a pandemic on air quality in different indoor environments in a university campus in Eskişehir, Turkey and calls for follow-up studies. Indoor concentrations were evaluated together with outdoor concentrations. In general, it can be said that the calculated I/O ratios for SO2, NO2, O3, bacteria, and fungi were less than 1 in most indoor environments.

Concept of Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for 3D Investigation of Air Quality in the Atmosphere—Example of Measurements Near a Roadside

A substantial amount of air pollution is emitted from urban sources. Hence, investigating air pollutant dispersion from urban sources is of great importance. The mechanisms influencing air pollutant dispersion also need to be studied thoroughly. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based systems offer great potential for mobile exploration of air pollutants in the lower atmosphere due to the high maneuverability of multi-rotor UAVs. The aim of this study was to develop an effective UAV system that can perform high-resolution three-dimensional profiling of pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), ultrafine particles (UFP), black carbon (BC), as well as meteorological parameters, including air temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Different experiments were performed to finalize the positioning of the instruments on the UAV platform so as not to destabilize the drone during flight, even when the wind speed is high and during turbulent flight conditions. Another very crucial question is where to place the air inlet of the measurement devices. In addition, field tests were conducted to evaluate the stability of the UAV platform and the in-flight performance of the sensors. This UAV platform was deployed to perform vertical profiles at the University campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen and in an area near the campus, close to the federal highway B14. The measurement campaign was performed on three days in February 2021, with a maximum flight height of 120 m above ground. The vertical profiles showed that concentrations were higher on the ground due to the proximity to the source and that high wind speeds assisted pollutant dispersion. The horizontal profiles showed that the pollutant concentrations were higher at the roadside and decreased with increasing distance from the road. In conclusion, this UAV platform represented a low-cost, practical, and reliable method for studying the three-dimensional distribution of pollutants near the source.

Investigation of indoor air quality in university libraries in terms of gaseous and particulate pollutants in Bartin, Turkey.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) was investigated in two libraries of Bartin University. Particle matter, TVOC, and CH2O were measured simultaneously in different rooms of the libraries. Measurements were made by PCE-RCM 11 measuring device. They were conducted monthly between September 2019 and October 2020 for 2 weeks for each library. TVOC mean concentration was higher than the limit value reported by Seifert et al. (1999). PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were higher in winter unlike TVOC and CH2O concentrations. The indoor seconder blowing dust was detected to be the most important source of particulate matter in the indoor environment. On the other hand, it was thought that the pollutants in the gas phase were affected by indoor and outdoor air temperature, indoor/outdoor air exchange rate, and indoor/outdoor pollutant sources. The parameters changed during the day and in different rooms of the libraries. Pollutants did not pose any hazard on human health, since the calculated HQ and HI ≤ 1 for both exposure groups. The indoor air of the libraries was detected to be slightly polluted and bad according to the IAQI and IEI, respectively. On the other hand, the indoor air quality of the libraries was good in terms of all parameters according to the IAQC.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-022-09818-8.

Investigations of indoor air quality for office buildings in different climate zones of China by subjective survey and field measurement

This study investigated the indoor air environment of office buildings in different climate zones of China, including the indoor air pollutant concentrations, and its associated interactions with the staffs' feelings and health symptoms, which could provide basis to improve the indoor environments of office buildings. Thermal parameters and pollutant (including CO2, formaldehyde and TVOC) concentrations were monitored in different floors of sampled office buildings. Questionnaire were also surveyed to investigate humans' perception to the indoor air quality and the associated sick building syndrome. Furthermore, cancer risk assessments of these office buildings were carried out based on onsite air pollutants data. The results showed that indoor and outdoor pollutant concentrations are highly correlated, and the pollutants concentration levels vary over the time of the day, with poor indoor conditions observed in the morning and the afternoon. The questionnaire results suggested that actions should be taken to improve the indoor air environment of office buildings, and ventilation appears to be the most desirable strategy. The risk assessment results showed that health problems could exist even though the pollutant concentration levels in the indoor environment were within the standard limits. This paper investigated the discomfort reasons in the office buildings by providing pollutant concentrations and health risk assessment data together with information about the human's perception on the indoor environment. Finally, we noted that outdoor fresh air with purifiers/filters should be used to reduce the indoor pollutant concentrations.

Investigation of Air Quality and Assessment in Srinagar City

Investigation of Air Quality and Assessment in Srinagar City

Indoor Air Pollution in Housing Units

Pollution and poor quality of the indoor environment is a common problem in today's residential buildings. These problems are reflected in the well-being and health of the users of these buildings. Targeted identification of the various harmful substances (pollutants) is essential for understanding the interactions of components of the internal environment for the welfare and health of building users. The Czech housing units were selected for screening investigation of indoor air quality. Measuring of indoor chemical factors was performed during the year 2019. The indoor levels of TVOC, nitrogen oxides, indoor radon, and particulate matters PM10 were measured. The results provide introduce data on indoor air quality concerning seasonal changes which were in correlation to air change rate. These results, introduced in this paper, help to understand the indoor pollutants occurrence and help to design next more focused studies.

Environmental quality in primary schools and related health effects in children. An overview of assessments conducted in the Northern Portugal

Since children are far more vulnerable than adults to the effects of air pollution and spend about a third of their day in school, strict control of indoor environments in educational buildings is paramount to properly identify, manage and mitigate putative environmental risks for children. In this context, this work aimed to provide a holistic view on the outcomes obtained from the national ARIA project, which was focused on broadening the knowledge on the effects on children’s health of the exposure to schools’ indoor air. In particular, this work performed a comprehensive investigation of the indoor air quality (IAQ) in 20 public primary schools located in Porto (Northern Region, Portugal). This paper presents the results of the investigation along with the recently published main outcomes of ARIA on (1) the characteristics of the environment surrounding the surveyed buildings, and (2) the school’s environment-related health effects in school-age children from the studied classrooms. The investigation consisted in an extensive assessment plan conducted in 71 classrooms to assess temperature, relative humidity, carbon monoxide and dioxide, particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, and ultrafine particles), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, airborne fungi, bacteria and endotoxins, and investigate their respective sources, during the cold seasons of 2014–2015. A series of studies was also launched to investigate school environment-related health detriments in 916 children. The results showed that comfort and ventilation issues and/or indoor pollutant levels that exceeded recommended limits were found in a substantial number of the classrooms surveyed. The high density of occupants, deficient ventilation, soil characteristics, presence of indoor pollution sources (e.g. classroom materials and consumer products) and outdoor pollution were some of the factors that seemed to explain the high air stuffiness and/or indoor pollution load identified in classrooms. In fact, some of indoor pollutants detected, even at low exposure levels, were associated with the development of respiratory symptoms in school-age children. Moreover, results from this work have also shown that the characteristics of the environment surrounding the schools, namely the presence of green spaces and species richness, can be major determinants of respiratory health among school-age children. Overall, the body of evidence generated from the ARIA project can support new evidence-based perspectives for promotion of health in educational buildings.

Indoor air quality investigation before and after relocation to WELL-certified office buildings

Air pollutant exposure in workplace environments has been associated with health and cognitive outcomes of workers. While green building certification programs have been instrumental in promoting indoor air quality (IAQ), the present literature indicates inconsistent evidence. Recent emergence and proliferation of WELL certification program that prioritizes human health has evoked new questions about its effectiveness in relation to IAQ. To investigate the effectiveness of the WELL certification, we have quantitatively compared IAQ results before and after relocation to two WELL-certified office buildings using the same cohort of occupants. Physical measures included integrated samples of TVOC, individual VOC, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, NO2, SO2, O3 and longitudinal records of CO2 and size-resolved particles. Complementary survey responses about satisfaction with IAQ and thermal comfort were collected from ~250 employees. For the majority of air pollutants, there was no significant concentration difference between non-WELL and WELL buildings, but not always. The WELL-certified buildings had substantially higher levels of TVOC and individual VOC associated with paints, especially shortly after the relocation. However, there was statistically significant improvement in IAQ satisfaction after relocation into WELL buildings regardless of the air pollution levels, possibly confounded by thermal environment, awareness of the WELL certification or other non-measurable factors.

Thermal Condition and Air Quality Investigation in Commercial Airliner Cabins

Cabin air quality and thermal conditions have a direct impact on passenger and flight crew’s health and comfort. In this study, in-cabin thermal environment and particulate matter (PM) exposures were investigated in four China domestic flights. The mean and standard deviation of the in-cabin carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in two tested flights are 1440 ± 111 ppm. The measured maximum in-cabin carbon monoxide (CO) concentration is 1.2 ppm, which is under the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit of 10 ppm. The tested relative humidity ranges from 13.8% to 67.0% with an average of 31.7%. The cabin pressure change rates at the end of the climbing stages and the beginning of the descending stages are close to 10 hPa·min−1, which might induce the uncomfortable feeling of passengers and crew members. PM mass concentrations were measured on four flights. The results show that PM concentrations decreased after the aircraft cabin door closed and were affected by severe turbulences. The highest in-cabin PM concentrations were observed in the oldest aircraft with an age of 13.2 years, and the waiting phase in this aircraft generated the highest exposures.

Investigations of Museum Indoor Microclimate and Air Quality. Case Study from Romania

Poor air quality inside museums is one of the main causes influencing the state of conservation of exhibits. Even if they are mostly placed in a controlled environment because of their construction materials, the exhibits can be very vulnerable to the influence of the internal microclimate. As a consequence, museum exhibits must be protected from potential negative effects. In order to prevent and stop the process of damage of the exhibits, monitoring the main parameters of the microclimate (especially temperature, humidity, and brightness) and keeping them in strict values is extremely important. The present study refers to the investigations and analysis of air quality inside a museum, located in a heritage building, from Romania. The paper focuses on monitoring and analysing temperature of air and walls, relative humidity (RH), CO2, brightness and particulate matters (PM), formaldehyde (HCHO), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC). The monitoring was carried out in the Summer–Autumn 2020 Campaign, in two different exhibition areas (first floor and basement) and the main warehouse where the exhibits are kept and restored. The analyses aimed both at highlighting the hazard induced by the poor air quality inside the museum that the exhibits face. The results show that this environment is potentially harmful to both exposed items and people. Therefore, the number of days in which the ideal conditions in terms of temperature and RH are met are quite few, the concentration of suspended particles, formaldehyde, and total volatile organic compounds often exceed the limit allowed by the international standards in force. The results represent the basis for the development and implementation of strategies for long-term conservation of exhibits and to ensure a clean environment for employees, restorers, and visitors.

Comparative analysis of indoor air quality in green office buildings of varying star levels based on the grey method

To reduce energy consumption, green office buildings have been proposed and promoted as a popular trend. In office buildings, perfect indoor air quality can improve work efficiency, while protecting the health of office staff. However, few investigations of the indoor air quality of green office buildings have been reported. In this study, green buildings with one-to three-star ratings, as well as ordinary buildings, were selected to conduct a field survey using air quality measurements. The results indicated that the three types of star buildings had superior air quality, as the carbon dioxide and particulate matter concentrations in green buildings were lower than those in ordinary buildings. However, the total volatile organic compounds concentration in green buildings was higher than that in ordinary buildings. The air quality levels of different types of buildings were evaluated based on the grey method. Consequently, the indoor air quality of the three-star buildings was reported to be excellent.

Indoor air quality investigation of a badminton hall in humid season through objective and subjective approaches

This study investigated the indoor air quality (IAQ) during humid season in an old badminton hall, to explore the IAQ characteristics of natural ventilated sports buildings for public use. The indoor air parameters (temperature, relative humidity and air velocity) and indoor air pollutants (CO2, TVOC, PM2.5 and PM10) were measured. A subjective approach was carried out through questionnaire survey. 185 valid questionnaires were recovered, and 68.7% of the participants had exercised. Results show that the indoor air qualities obtained through objective and subjective approaches were obviously different. Indoor PM, TVOC and CO2 concentrations were normal, but 37.3% of the participants complained about the building materials' smell and 73.5% of the participants reported obvious sweaty odor. Physical activity might reduce a person's sensitivity to the environment. The participants generally felt warm and hot because of the high relative humidity. Post-exercise participants felt significantly hotter than those who did not exercise, and were generally more receptive to IAQ. The method of Fanger was employed to narrow the gap between subjective and objective approaches with a modified parameter, and to furtherly estimate the ventilation. The present study demonstrates the necessity to combine two approaches together to assess the IAQ in sports buildings.

Impacts of the Tree Canopy and Chemical Reactions on the Dispersion of Reactive Pollutants in Street Canyons

Traffic-related air pollution in street canyons can cause health problems for pedestrians. In order to clarify the behavior of reactive pollutants, such as NOx and O3, in street canyons, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model coupled with a chemistry model and tree canopy model was developed, and then, a set of numerical experiments were performed to investigate the impacts of chemical reactions and aerodynamic effects of trees planted in a canyon. The results were compared with the observation data. Through the results of the numerical experiments designed to simulate a realistic urban street canyon, it was found that chemical reactions have a dominant impact on the NO/NO2 ratio and O3 concentration. While the tree canopy had little impact on the NO/NO2 ratio, it had a moderate impact on the flow field in the canyon and the amount of NOx and O3 in the canyon. In accordance with the aerodynamic effects of tree canopies, the local NOx concentration in the experiments increased and decreased by up to 51% and 11%, respectively. The current findings of this study demonstrate the utility of the proposed model for conducting air quality investigations in urban areas.

Numerical investigation of indoor thermal comfort and air quality for a multi-purpose hall with various shading and glazing ratios

This research assesses the effect of outdoor parameters, including solar radiation and shading and glazing configurations, on indoor thermal comfort and air quality in multi-purpose halls in Auckland, New Zealand. The Design of Experiment (DOE) method by using CFD simulation has been utilized for this study. Input parameters are windows length, overhang angle, and overhang length, while output parameters are occupant zone average temperature and mass fraction. The temperature sensitivity to the glazing parameter changes with time, and its maximum occurs at 11:00 and is 95%, while for the shading ones happen at 9:00 and is 50%. The peak of CO2 mass fraction sensitivity to glazing and shading parameters coincides at 9:00 and is 90% and 80, respectively. The variation rate of temperature and CO2 mass fraction VS. Glazing parameter (W.L) is approximately positive on the summer day. However, it has a nonlinear and complex behavior, while the shading one has a sinusoidal behavior. On the other hand, on the winter day, the temperature variation rate is almost linear regarding this factor. The result shows that appropriate shading and glazing situation for each time is different, and for reaching the best comfort, dynamic shading and glazing should be designed. Comfort criteria sensitivity within the school is highly dependent on glazing parameters compared with shading configurations. The temperature can be controlled up to 3 and 1.6 degrees on the summer and winter day, respectively. Finally, it can be concluded that glazing tools can compensate for a significant amount of required heating in the winter days, and shading devices and openings can control the air quality in the school buildings with neglectable overheating.

Study of the measured and perceived indoor air quality in Swedish school classrooms

The influence of a classroom’s indoor environment on children’s health, performance and comfort is a concern that receives increasing attention. Many schools experience problems with inadequate indoor air quality and climate. Investigations of the indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools have been often non-systematic, which can lead to costly ad-hoc remediation actions. It is therefore important to develop a holistic approach to the assessment of IAQ in schools.This paper presents a field study on the indoor air quality and thermal environment conditions of elementary schools in Gothenburg, Sweden. The focus of the paper is on the methodology to investigate the IAQ using both objective measurements and subjective assessment of the perceived IAQ. The indoor environmental measurements include indoor air quality and thermal comfort parameters for which guideline values exist. Finally, a questionnaire was developed to evaluate the perception of the classroom’s thermal environment and air quality by young children.The paper presents the study protocol and diagnostics approach for IAQ in classrooms. Examples of results from the first 10 investigated classrooms are presented.

Investigation of hospital indoor air quality for the presence of SARS-Cov-2.

PurposeUnidentified dynamics for the causative agent of COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2, led to the critical public health issue. Suspicion for the airborne potential of SARS-Cov-2 is an important problem for its transmission and relevant epidemics. This research investigated hospital indoor air quality to SARS-Cov-2 occurrence and determination its air born potential.MethodsThe site study was a referral hospital with 630 beds for admitting of COVID-19 patients. Air sampling was done (n = 31) on selected wards including Emergency 1, Emergency 2, bedridden (4-B, 10-D), ICU 2, ICU 3, CT-SCAN, and laundry. The average temperature and relative humidities were 22 ± 1 °C and 43 percent respectively. All glass impinger used for sampling in which the sampling pumps capacities were 5 and 40 L.min− 1. Sampling duration time was 20 and 15 minutes and 100 to 1000 L of air were gathered. All parts of the sampling equipment were completely disinfected by hot water, ethanol (70%), chlorine solution (1000 ppm), hot water (70 °C for 1 min) and washed with distilled water. The transmitting media (7 ml) was injected into impinger and residual of this media (2 ml) was sent to the virology laboratory within 2 hours and preserved on refrigerator < 4 °C. Analysis of samples was performed by RT-PCR and repeated for accuracy control.ResultsAll of the samples were negative for SARS-Cov-2 occurrence. These results showed that SARS-Cov-2 had not airborne potential in this hospital.ConclusionsAlthough SARS-Cov-2 similar to the SARS virus but, SARS-Cov-2 is not an airborne virus.

Investigation of indoor air quality and thermal comfort condition in airport terminal buildings

PurposeThis paper aims to measure the thermal comfort conditions and indoor air quality parameters, through on-site measurements taken in the areas mostly occupied by the passengers and airport staff. Terminal buildings consist of areas with various functions. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning requirements vary from area to area, thus leading to challenges in the management of indoor environment quality. Therefore, the study focuses on investigating the indoor environment conditions in various areas of the terminal buildings.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the thermal comfort and indoor air quality were evaluated based on the parameters [CO2 concentration, relative humidity, temperature, predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD)] collected for summer 2019 from different zones inside the International Dalaman Airport terminal building located in the southwest of Turkey. The measurements were performed in the areas mostly occupied by the airport staff and passengers (check-in area, security control areas, international departure lounge, domestic departure lounge and baggage claim hall).FindingsAs a result of the study, it was observed that the CO2 concentration was 480–965 ppm, the relative humidity was 51.9–75.8% and the temperature was in the range of 23.9°C–28.3°C inside the airport terminal. The PMV values were determined to be in the range of −0.23 to 0.67, and the PPD values 5–15%, which are used to measure the thermal comfort conditions.Originality/valueThere has been limited study on the determination of the indoor air quality in airport terminals and the investigation of the thermal comfort conditions. However, in this study, indoor air quality and thermal comfort conditions were determined by on-site measurements in the five mostly occupied areas by passengers and employees in the terminal building.

The assessment of the Voice 200Ultra apparatus applicability to field investigations of air quality and odours

The ongoing urbanisation results in the decreased distance between residential areas and odour-generating municipal facilities. Odours are one of the crucial problems for people exposed to them, both locally and nationwide. Recently Syft Technologies company has been developing a new mobile device used for investigations of odorous compounds - Voice 200 Ultra. According to the manufacturer's declaration this device offers the possibility to carry out very precise odours measurements. Thus the attempt has been made to utilise that device for investigations of odorous compounds in one of Polish town.The primary goal of the research project has been to assess the applicability of the Voice 200Ultra method (developed by Syft Technologies) in the field odours measurements, in situ. That method is assumed to enable researchers to swiftly characterise and determine odorous chemical compounds in terms of quality and quantity.