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Monitoring, Human Health Risk Assessment and Optimized Management for Typical Pollutants in Indoor Air from Random Families of University Staff, Wuhan City, China

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  • Xiyao Chen

    (Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
    School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Fei Li

    (Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
    School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Chaoyang Liu

    (Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
    School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Jun Yang

    (Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
    School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Jingdong Zhang

    (Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
    School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Chunlin Peng

    (School of Statistics and Mathematics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

Abstract

In this study, 31 workers at a university were randomly selected for indoor environmental monitoring in Wuhan. Two indicators, formaldehyde and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), and using 139 monitoring points, monitored the indoor environment (including home and workplace) as well as the interior space of the main furniture. This study carried out the environmental quality assessment for TVOC based on the dB index method and the health risk assessment of indoor formaldehyde for the university staff receptors and, then focused on health risk in home environment to carry out detailed environmental health management. The results showed that TVOC in the three types of home spaces exceeded about 80% of the national standard. The excessive formaldehyde ratios for kitchens (79%), bedrooms (77%) and living rooms (74%) were calculated. Formaldehyde health risks all exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency, (USEPA) acceptable risk threshold. The formaldehyde concentrations in workplaces were about 0.03 mg·m −3 . While the risk contribution of the home environment to the total average health risk (0.0014, whether male and female) is about 96%. For the adapted and unadapted persons, 90% and 55% of the monitoring points were located within the long-term tolerable range of TVOC decibel application, respectively. Long-term exposure to such an environment can lead to the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). On the other hand, through comparison of the concentration of pollutants in the interior spaces of furniture and home spaces, it was determined tentatively that the pollutants were mainly concentrated in rarely used furniture. In summary, the air pollution in the studied homes of university staff was much serious than that in workplaces, which showed a need to manage TVOC and formaldehyde pollution by the three means: the purchase of green products, removal of internal pollution from furniture, and creating a good indoor volatile diffusion environment to create a healthy home environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiyao Chen & Fei Li & Chaoyang Liu & Jun Yang & Jingdong Zhang & Chunlin Peng, 2017. "Monitoring, Human Health Risk Assessment and Optimized Management for Typical Pollutants in Indoor Air from Random Families of University Staff, Wuhan City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-13, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:7:p:1115-:d:102688
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lihui Huang & Jinhan Mo & Jan Sundell & Zhihua Fan & Yinping Zhang, 2013. "Health Risk Assessment of Inhalation Exposure to Formaldehyde and Benzene in Newly Remodeled Buildings, Beijing," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-8, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fei Li & Zhenzhen Qiu & Jingdong Zhang & Chaoyang Liu & Ying Cai & Minsi Xiao, 2017. "Spatial Distribution and Fuzzy Health Risk Assessment of Trace Elements in Surface Water from Honghu Lake," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Michał Piasecki & Mateusz Kozicki & Szymon Firląg & Anna Goljan & Krystyna Kostyrko, 2018. "The Approach of Including TVOCs Concentration in the Indoor Environmental Quality Model (IEQ)—Case Studies of BREEAM Certified Office Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, October.
    3. Rui Zhu & Yang Lv & Zhimeng Wang & Xi Chen, 2021. "Prediction of the Hypertension Risk of the Elderly in Built Environments Based on the LSTM Deep Learning and Bayesian Fitting Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Hongyou Lu & Yunchan Zhu & Yu Qi & Jinliang Yu, 2018. "Do Urban Subway Openings Reduce PM 2.5 Concentrations? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-24, November.

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