Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of indoor air pollution exposure in urban hospital microenvironments

  • Published:
Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hospitals are microenvironments containing populations with potentially enhanced sensitivity to air pollution. The objectives of this study were to characterize the concentration of indoor and outdoor size-fractionated particulate matter (PM) at two urban hospital sites in Kashan, Iran, and to evaluate the relationship between indoor and outdoor PM levels. PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations were measured over a 3-month period outside each hospital with parallel sampling at four indoor locations in patient wards. The results indicated that mean indoor concentrations at the sampling sites (PM1.0 = 17.8 μg/m3, PM2.5 = 45.5 μg/m3, and PM10 = 162.7 μg/m3) were found to be lower than outdoors levels (PM1.0 = 20.6 μg/m3, PM2.5 = 62.1 μg/m3, and PM10 = 300.6 μg/m3). Outdoor and indoor PM mass concentrations were associated with PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10.0. Ambient wind speed also influenced the indoor/outdoor relationship for PM1.0 and PM2.5 but not for PM10. The average I/O ratios for PM2.5 in the intensive care unit (ICU) and children’s ward at Shahid Beheshti Hospital were close to or above 1.00. Indoor PM1.0 and PM2.5 concentrations were found to be positively associated with outdoor PM1.0 and PM2.5 concentrations, but no relationship was observed with PM10. The present findings may inform policymakers in implementing evidence-based efforts for the aim of improving the indoor air quality in closed and confined spaces.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Campbell H (1997) Indoor air pollution and acute lower respiratory infections in young Gambian children. Health Bull 55:20

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chamseddine A, El-Fadel M (2015) Exposure to air pollutants in hospitals: indoor–outdoor correlations. WIT Trans Built Env 168:707–716

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen C, Zhao B (2011) Review of relationship between indoor and outdoor particles: I/O ratio, infiltration factor and penetration factor. Atmos Environ 45:275–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dehghani M, Kamali Y, Shamsedini N, Ghanbarian M (2015) A study of the relationship between indoor/outdoor particle concentration in Dena hospital in Shiraz. J Health Res Community 1:49–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Dehghani M, Saeedi AA, Zamanian Z (2012) A study of the relationship between indoor and outdoor particle concentrations in Hafez Hospital in Shiraz, Iran

  • Eames I, Tang J, Li Y, Wilson P (2009) Airborne transmission of disease in hospitals. J R Soc Interface 6:1–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Esworthy R (2015) 2006 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5): designating nonattainment areas, congressional research service report, December 23, 2015, Fayetteville, USA

  • Ezzati M, Kammen DM (2001) Indoor air pollution from biomass combustion and acute respiratory infections in Kenya: an exposure-response study. Lancet 358:619–624

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghozikali M, Borgini A, Tittarelli A, Amrane A, Mohammadyan M, Heibati B, Yetilmezsoy K (2016a) Quantification of health effects of exposure to air pollution (PM10) in Tabriz, Iran. Global NEST J 18:708–720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghozikali MG, Heibati B, Naddafi K, Kloog I, Conti GO, Polosa R, Ferrante M (2016b) Evaluation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attributed to atmospheric O3, NO2, and SO2 using Air Q model (2011–2012 year). Environ Res 144:99–105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gurley ES, Homaira N, Salje H, Ram PK, Haque R, Petri W, Bresee J, Moss WJ, Breysse P, Luby SP, Azziz-Baumgartner E (2013) Indoor exposure to particulate matter and the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections among children: a birth cohort study in urban Bangladesh. Indoor Air 23:379–386

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kermani M, Arfaeinia H, Nabizadeh R, Alimohammadi M, Aalamolhoda A (2015) Levels of PM2.5-associated heavy metals in the ambient air of Sina hospital district, Tehran, Iran. J Air Pollut Health 1:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Klepeis NE, Nelson WC, Ott WR, Robinson JP, Tsang AM, Switzer P, Behar JV, Hern SC, Engelmann WH (2001) The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 11:231–252

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lomboy MFTC, Quirit LL, Molina VB, Dalmacion GV, Schwartz JD, Suh HH, Baja ES (2015) Characterization of particulate matter 2.5 in an urban tertiary care hospital in the Philippines. Build Environ 92:432–439

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López-Villarrubia E, Iñiguez C, Costa O, Balleste F (2016) Acute effects of urban air pollution on respiratory emergency hospital admissions in the Canary Islands. Air Qual Atmos Health 9:713–722

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Massey D, Masih J, Kulshrestha A, Habil M, Taneja A (2009) Indoor/outdoor relationship of fine particles less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in residential homes locations in central Indian region. Build Environ 44:2037–2045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammadyan M, Alizadeh-Larimi A, Etemadinejad S, Latif MT, Heibati B, Yetilmezsoy K, Abdul-Wahab SA, Dadvand P (2017a) Particulate air pollution at schools: indoor-outdoor relationship and determinants of indoor concentrations. Aerosol Air Qual Res 17:857–864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mohammadyan M, Ghoochani M, Kloog I, Abdul-Wahab SA, Yetilmezsoy K, Heibati B, Pollitt KJG (2017b) Assessment of indoor and outdoor particulate air pollution at an urban background site in Iran. Environ Monit Assess 189:235

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Park M, Luo S, Kwon J, Stock TH, Delclos G, Kim H, Yun-Chul H (2013) Effects of air pollution on asthma hospitalization rates in different age groups in metropolitan cities of Korea. Air Qual Atmos Health 6:543–551

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pope R, Stanley KM, Domsky I, Yip F, Nohre L, Mirabelli MC (2017) The relationship of high PM2.5 days and subsequent asthma-related hospital encounters during the fireplace season in Phoenix, AZ, 2008–2012. Air Qual Atmos Health 10:161–169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rezaei S, Naddafi K, Jabbari H, Yonesian M, Jamshidi A, Sadat A, Raygan Shirazinejad A (2013) Relationship between the particulate matter concentrations in the indoor and ambient air of the Tehran children hospital in 2007. Iran J Health Environ 6:103–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Slezakova K, da Conceição Alvim-Ferraz M, do Carmo Pereira M (2012) Elemental characterization of indoor breathable particles at a Portuguese urban hospital. J Toxic Environ Health A 75:909–919

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KR, Samet JM, Romieu I, Bruce N (2000) Indoor air pollution in developing countries and acute lower respiratory infections in children. Thorax 55:518–532

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vu TV, Ondracek J, Zdímal V, Schwarz J, Delgado-Saborit JM, Harrison RM (2017) Physical properties and lung deposition of particles emitted from five major indoor sources. Air Qual Atmos Health 10:1–14

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang F, Meng D, Li X, Tan J (2016) Indoor-outdoor relationships of PM2.5 in four residential dwellings in winter in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Environ Pollut 215:280–289

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Bi X, Sheng G, Fu J (2006) Hospital indoor PM10/PM2.5 and associated trace elements in Guangzhou, China. Sci Total Environ 366:124–135

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (WHO) (2004) Health aspects of air pollution, results from the WHO project: systematic review of health aspects in Europe. WHO Press, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (WHO) (2006) Air quality guidelines: global update 2005, particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (WHO) (2007) Health risks of heavy metals from long range trans-boundary air pollution. WHO Press, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (WHO) (2009) Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. WHO Press, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Yurtseven E, Erdogan MS, Ulus T, Alver Sahin U, Onat B, Erinoz E, Vehid S, Koksal S (2012) An assessment of indoor PM2.5 concentrations at a medical faculty in Istanbul, Turkey. Environ Prot Eng 38:115–127

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zereini F, Wiseman CL (2010) Urban airborne particulate matter: origin, chemistry, fate and health impacts. Springer, Berlin. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12278-1

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao L, Chen C, Wang P, Chen Z, Cao S, Wang Q, Xie G, Wan Y, Wang Y, Lu B (2015) Influence of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution on indoor environment during winter in Beijing. Build Environ 87:283–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the manager and personnel of the Shahid Beheshti and Naghavi Hospitals for their kind cooperation.

Funding

This work was financially supported by Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (Award Number: 93-7225).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Sciences Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Mahmoud Mohammadyan

  2. Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Sepideh Keyvani

  3. Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

    Ali Bahrami

  4. Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Davutpasa Campus, 34220, Esenler, Istanbul, Turkey

    Kaan Yetilmezsoy

  5. Air Pollution Research Center, Faculty of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Behzad Heibati

  6. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Krystal J. Godri Pollitt

Authors
  1. Mahmoud Mohammadyan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sepideh Keyvani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ali Bahrami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kaan Yetilmezsoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Behzad Heibati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Krystal J. Godri Pollitt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Behzad Heibati.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 141 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mohammadyan, M., Keyvani, S., Bahrami, A. et al. Assessment of indoor air pollution exposure in urban hospital microenvironments. Air Qual Atmos Health 12, 151–159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-018-0637-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-018-0637-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation