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Indoor gaseous air pollutants determinants in office buildings—The OFFICAIR project
Author(s) -
Spinazzè Andrea,
Campagnolo Davide,
Cattaneo Andrea,
Urso Patrizia,
Sakellaris Ioannis A.,
Saraga Dikaia E.,
Mandin Corinne,
Canha Nuno,
Mabilia Rosanna,
Perreca Erica,
Mihucz Victor G.,
Szigeti Tamás,
Ventura Gabriela,
Oliveira Fernandes Eduardo,
Kluizenaar Yvonne,
Cornelissen Eric,
Hänninen Otto,
Carrer Paolo,
Wolkoff Peder,
Cavallo Domenico M.,
Bartzis John G.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/ina.12609
Subject(s) - environmental science , indoor air , pollutant , air pollutants , indoor air quality , volatile organic compound , environmental engineering , air pollution , sample (material) , waste management , environmental chemistry , engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , chromatography
The aim of this study was to identify determinants of aldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) indoor air concentrations in a sample of more than 140 office rooms, in the framework of the European OFFICAIR research project. A large field campaign was performed, which included (a) the air sampling of aldehydes and VOCs in 37 newly built or recently retrofitted office buildings across 8 European countries in summer and winter and (b) the collection of information on building and offices’ characteristics using checklists. Linear mixed models for repeated measurements were applied to identify the main factors affecting the measured concentrations of selected indoor air pollutants (IAPs). Several associations between aldehydes and VOCs concentrations and buildings’ structural characteristic or occupants’ activity patterns were identified. The aldehyde and VOC determinants in office buildings include building and furnishing materials, indoor climate characteristics (room temperature and relative humidity), the use of consumer products (eg, cleaning and personal care products, office equipment), as well as the presence of outdoor sources in the proximity of the buildings (ie, vehicular traffic). Results also showed that determinants of indoor air concentrations varied considerably among different type of pollutants.