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Applied Sciences
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Air Quality in Indoor Environments
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Air Quality in Indoor Environments

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 16757

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Monteiro

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Guest Editor
H&TRC—Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL—Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1600-560 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: exposure assessment; occupational exposure; occupational health; aerosols; bacteriology; atmosphere pollution; indoor air quality; environmental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Carla Viegas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. H & TRC—Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL—Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1990-096 Lisbon, Portugal
2. Public Health Research Centre, NOVA National School of Public Health, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1099-085 Lisbon, Portugal
3. Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: fungal occupational exposure; indoor air quality; aspergillus epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sandra Cabo Verde

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 2695-066 Loures, Portugal
Interests: radiation technologies; radiomicrobiology; radiation effects; environmental virology; indoor air quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marina Almeida-Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
H&TRC-Health & Technology Research Center, Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde (ESTeSL), Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1900-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: environmental health; healthy ageing; susceptible population exposure to air pollutants; human health impacts to air pollutants; indoor and atmospheric air quality assessment; source apportionment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization, ambient air pollution is a major global public health concern. High levels of pollution in the air may cause diseases and have health repercussions in the long or even short term, such as stroke, heart diseases, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases. Indoor and ambient air pollution have been recognised as one of the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases, alongside unhealthy diets, tobacco smoking, harmful use of alcohol, and physical inactivity. Most outdoor air pollutants penetrate into our homes, workplace, and schools and can react with indoor air pollutants. In fact, harmful air pollutants can exist in higher concentrations in indoor than outdoor spaces. Moreover, people spend most of their time (over 90%) indoors, even more in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This evidence shows the importance of studying the exposure to indoor air pollution (including chemicals and bioaerosols), which is a very important health risk factor that needs to be controlled and reduced.

Therefore, we encourage scientists to submit their manuscripts for publication in this Special Issue.

Dr. Ana Monteiro
Prof. Dr. Carla Viegas
Dr. Sandra Cabo Verde
Dr. Marina Almeida-Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • indoor air quality
  • health care facilities
  • bioaerosols
  • occupational health
  • public health

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 5549 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Airflow Velocity through a Laminar Airflow Ceiling (LAFC) on the Assessment of Thermal Comfort in the Operating Room
by Pavol Mičko, Radovan Nosek, Peter Hrabovský and Dávid Hečko
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 4860; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13084860 - 12 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1796
Abstract
Forced ventilation is applied in clean rooms, specifically operating rooms, to ensure the health of both the patient and the medical staff. Ventilation reduces the risk of patient contamination, and its parameters are legally prescribed. In addition to preventing contamination, the ventilation system [...] Read more.
Forced ventilation is applied in clean rooms, specifically operating rooms, to ensure the health of both the patient and the medical staff. Ventilation reduces the risk of patient contamination, and its parameters are legally prescribed. In addition to preventing contamination, the ventilation system also ensures the creation of a comfortable environment for personnel who spend a large amount of working time in the operating room. This research focuses on the appropriate design of the air flow rate from the distribution element to the operating room. The PMV and PPD indexes were used to evaluate thermal comfort for human beings. The measurements of parameters determining thermal comfort took place in a laboratory with an accurate model of the operating room, including equipment and HVAC system, during the summer months, in cooling mode. Discharge speeds in the range of 0.15–0.175 m/s were evaluated as the most comfortable, with the PPD index ranging up to 22%. There was a significant increase in user dissatisfaction up to the limit of 70% at higher discharge speeds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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17 pages, 8003 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Improvement of Filter Performance to Remove Indoor Air Pollution
by Yong-Sun Kim, Hong-Gun Kim, Lee-Ku Kwac and Sang-Cheol Ko
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2561; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042561 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1204
Abstract
This study carried out a simplified baffle filter shape study on the over the range (OTR) filter used in a general kitchen. In order to improve the filter’s efficiency, the simulation was performed using ANSYS FLUENT and COMSOL Multiphysics, and a wind tunnel [...] Read more.
This study carried out a simplified baffle filter shape study on the over the range (OTR) filter used in a general kitchen. In order to improve the filter’s efficiency, the simulation was performed using ANSYS FLUENT and COMSOL Multiphysics, and a wind tunnel test apparatus was manufactured to minimize the error rate of dust collection efficiency in the experiment. In the case of a physical filter, it was confirmed through a theoretical review that dust is collected in the filter by the inertial collision method, and the flow velocity must be increased to increase the dust collection efficiency. To increase the flow velocity and increase the filter contact area, the use of sub-filters and the Coanda effect was proposed and simulated. When only the Coanda effect was applied, the collection efficiency increased by about 7–15% compared to the original filter, and when the three types of sub-filters were proposed, and among them, a circular sub-filter was applied, it increased by 25%. When applying the sub-filter and the Coanda effect at the same time, it was confirmed that the sub-filter was more efficient than the Coanda effect. However, in the case of a physical filter, since it cannot collect particles less than PM2.5, the electric dust collection method was proposed and a simulation was conducted. The possibility of removing ultrafine dust below PM2.5 was secured by using an electric dust-collection filter simulation, and it is expected that the reliability will be secured by using experimental devices and products in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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17 pages, 4874 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Plasma Ion Distribution and Dust Collection Efficiency of Carbon-Brush Air Purifiers
by Yong Sun Kim, Hong Gun Kim, Sang Cheol Ko and Lee Ku Kwac
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2101; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042101 - 06 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
In recent years, many studies on air purifiers have been conducted, as particulate matter and virus issues have emerged. In this study, the ion concentration distribution in an air purifier that applies a high voltage was investigated through simulation. For a single carbon [...] Read more.
In recent years, many studies on air purifiers have been conducted, as particulate matter and virus issues have emerged. In this study, the ion concentration distribution in an air purifier that applies a high voltage was investigated through simulation. For a single carbon brush that applied a high voltage of –8.5 kV, the simulation results of the ion concentration distribution in the ground direction were compared with the result of the experiment and an error of 4.3% was observed, thereby confirming the reliability of the simulation. On this basis, the ion concentration distribution was calculated according to the number and location of the brushes. In addition, the charging number was calculated by applying the charging mechanism to the distributed dust particles, and the dust collection efficiency was calculated by conducting particle multiphysics analysis. The dust collection efficiency increased from 0.5% to 1% as the number of brushes increased, and the dust collection efficiency was 82% when there were two brushes and 83% when there were four brushes. In the proposed modeling, the location of the brushes is more important than the number of brushes. These results are expected to provide more accurate design information for the number and location of brushes applicable to an air purifier. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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15 pages, 2894 KiB  
Article
Indoor Air Quality Assessment in Grocery Stores
by Teresa Baptista, Marina Almeida-Silva, Dário Silva, Carlos Diogo and Nuno Canha
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12940; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412940 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1979
Abstract
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a public and occupational health concern, as we are exposed to air pollutants daily given that we spend a great amount of our time in indoor environments. IAQ can be affected by numerous factors, from outdoor pollutants that [...] Read more.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a public and occupational health concern, as we are exposed to air pollutants daily given that we spend a great amount of our time in indoor environments. IAQ can be affected by numerous factors, from outdoor pollutants that get indoors through ventilation to building materials, furnishings, and activities carried by the building occupants. Exposure to air pollutants has been linked to a panoply of adverse effects on our health, well-being, and performance. The aim of this study was to assess the IAQ in grocery stores (GSs) in the municipality of Cascais in the Lisbon metropolitan area (Portugal) to characterize the workers’ occupational exposure to air pollutants. The study was conducted in 13 small “family” grocery stores. The IAQ monitoring campaign was conducted using low-cost sensor technologies and focused on several parameters, namely: carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), temperature (T), and relative humidity (RH). Overall, the IAQ of the studied GSs complied with Portuguese legislation, except for PM2.5, where 23% of GSs presented levels above the established limit value. The mean inhaled dose of workers during a workday was estimated to be 157.7 ± 57.2 μg for PM2.5 and 165.8 ± 56.0 μg for PM10. The IAQ assessment allowed the identification of the best strategies to improve worker experience in indoor workplace environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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13 pages, 1841 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Students, Computers, and Air Purifiers on Classroom Air Quality
by Georgios Dabanlis, Glykeria Loupa, Dimitrios Liakos and Spyridon Rapsomanikis
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(23), 11911; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122311911 - 22 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1262
Abstract
Indoor air pollutant sources are crucial in assessing IAQ, especially when outdoor air pollutant concentrations are low. In the present study, PM mass concentrations in a range of five sizes; CO, CO2, O3, NO, NO2, and TVOC [...] Read more.
Indoor air pollutant sources are crucial in assessing IAQ, especially when outdoor air pollutant concentrations are low. In the present study, PM mass concentrations in a range of five sizes; CO, CO2, O3, NO, NO2, and TVOC concentrations; along with temperature and relative humidity were monitored in three indoor locations of a university. The monitoring took place in a building dedicated to teaching undergraduates. The first two locations, a professor’s office and a computer centre (laboratory), were not refurbished. The classroom under study is refurbished and now is airtight, as are all of the classrooms in this building. Air purifiers were installed in all of the classrooms to prevent the transmission of infectious pollutants. In all monitored locations, people were the main indoor source of PM, CO2, and TVOC. The operation of twelve computers in the small laboratory did not contribute to the air pollution, at least for the examined pollutants. The air purifier decreased the PM concentrations, but not the gaseous air pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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Review

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17 pages, 2757 KiB  
Review
Impact of Carpets on Indoor Air Quality
by Seyyed Abbas Noorian Najafabadi, Soma Sugano and Philomena M. Bluyssen
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12989; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412989 - 18 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3783
Abstract
Interest in having a healthy and well-being environment has increased the awareness to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). Building materials influence the contribution of indoor air pollution, so understanding their behaviour on IAQ is essential. Among building materials, carpets cover surfaces of indoor [...] Read more.
Interest in having a healthy and well-being environment has increased the awareness to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). Building materials influence the contribution of indoor air pollution, so understanding their behaviour on IAQ is essential. Among building materials, carpets cover surfaces of indoor environments and significantly impact IAQ due to their large surface area and multi-layers of materials components. This review aimed to consolidate what is known about how carpet impacts indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) concentrations and particulate matter (PM) distributions. The results showed that carpets are not only a source of primary emission but also can ad/absorb VOCs and emit VOCs through secondary emission, sink effects, and transformation reactions. The material composition of each carpet layer, environmental parameters (e.g., humidity, temperature, air velocity), and chamber size influence a carpets’ behaviour. Previous studies on the resuspension of PM from carpets mainly focused on the effects of human activities and humidity. Further studies are needed to enhance knowledge related to carpet behaviours in the indoor environment and on how the common materials of carpets should be designed and sustained to reduce exposure to harmful pollutants indoors while maintaining its benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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16 pages, 633 KiB  
Review
Exposure and Health Effects of Bacteria in Healthcare Units: An Overview
by Ana Monteiro, Jéssica Cardoso, Nuno Guerra, Edna Ribeiro, Carla Viegas, Sandra Cabo Verde and António Sousa-Uva
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1958; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12041958 - 13 Feb 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4236
Abstract
Healthcare units consist of numerous people circulating daily, such as workers, patients, and companions, and these people are vehicles for the transmission of microorganisms, such as bacteria. Bacteria species may have different allergenic, pathogenic, infectious, or toxic properties that can affect humans. Hospital [...] Read more.
Healthcare units consist of numerous people circulating daily, such as workers, patients, and companions, and these people are vehicles for the transmission of microorganisms, such as bacteria. Bacteria species may have different allergenic, pathogenic, infectious, or toxic properties that can affect humans. Hospital settings foment the proliferation of bacteria due to characteristics present in the indoor hospital environment. This review article aims to identify the potential health effects caused by bacterial contamination in the context of healthcare units, both in patients and in workers. A search was carried out for articles published in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, between 1 January 2000 and 31 October 2021, using the descriptor hospital exposure assessment bacteria. This bibliographic research found a total of 13 articles. Bacteria transmission occurs mainly due to the contact between healthcare workers and patients or through the handling of/contact with contaminated instruments or surfaces. The most common bacterial contaminants are Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus, and the principal health effects of these contaminants are hospital-acquired infections and infections in immunocompromised people. A tight control of the disinfection methods is thus required, and its frequency must be increased to remove the microbial contamination of wards, surfaces and equipment. A better understanding of seasonal variations is important to prevent peaks of contamination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Quality in Indoor Environments)
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