One largely unstudied benefit of relocating families from slums to public housing is the potential improvement in indoor air quality (IAQ). We compared families that moved from slums to public housing with those that remained living in slums in Santiago, Chile in terms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as main indicator of change. A cross-sectional study of 98 relocated families and 71 still l...

Indoor air quality (IAQ) control of hospitals plays a critical role in protecting both hospital staffs and patients, particularly those who are highly susceptible to the adverse effects of indoor noxious hazards. However, moxibustion in outpatient departments (OPDs) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may be a source of indoor air pollution in hospitals. Some studies have investigated indoor ...

BACKGROUND The elements that contribute to a healthy building are multifactorial and can be discussed from different perspectives. OBJECTIVES WE PRESENT THREE VIEWPOINTS OF DESIGNING A HEALTHY BUILDING: the importance of sustainable development, the role of occupants for ensuring indoor air quality, and ongoing developments related to indoor finishes with low chemical emissions and good funga...

BACKGROUND According to observations by occupational health physicians, nearly 50 % of the seamen on German vessels will get diseases of the upper respiratory tract. An impact of the air-conditioning systems on these diseases has been suggested. OBJECTIVES To examine the hygienic quality of indoor air on seagoing vessels, a pilot study was initiated by the See-Berufsgenossenschaft. METHODS ...

In this paper, a two-mode ventilation control of a single facility is formulated as a scheduling model over multiple time horizons. Using the CO2 concentration as the major indoor air quality index and expected room occupancy schedule, optimal solutions leading to reduced CO2 concentration and energy costs are obtained by solving the multi-objective optimization model formulated in the paper. A...

Semi volatile organochemicals such as chlorinated organophosphorus and organotin compounds are detected in many indoor materials and residential house dust samples. Chlorinated phosphorus based flame retardants are found in 90 % of over 1,500 house dust samples ranging from 0.1 to 1,300 mg/kg. The results of material samples show that many polyurethane soft foams, sealants, and finishes contain...

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) causes many health issues related to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The indoor air quality improvement has been instituted by various organizations based on the concentration level of different pollutants. Though VOCs in indoor air has various adverse health effects and are primary reason for sick building syndrome, there are only few abatement technologies currentl...

Indoor microbial air flora is a cause of tremendous health concern in developing countries. A number of allergic and infective illnesses are linked to poor microbiological quality of indoor air in the hospital, like Bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, sick building syndrome and pneumonia. This air quality needs to be assessed by one or more of many standard methods available, old and new, and is ve...