Seasonal variation of air quality in hospitals with indoor–outdoor correlations

Abstract

This study involved a seasonal exposure assessment in a hospital environment using several air quality indicators including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). We examined the distribution of and variation in the indoor and outdoor pollutant concentrations in 12 working areas across three hospitals, with an emphasis on capturing seasonal variations. We assessed correlations between measured indoor and outdoor levels to quantify the importance of indoor sources on air quality relative to outdoor sources. Our results indicated that while indoor and outdoor CO levels were below air quality standards/guidelines, measured PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations at several locations exceeded the standards 2- to 3.5-fold. We generally recorded higher indoor PM levels during the warm season, particularly during regional desert storm events. The ingress of particles from the outdoor to indoor environment was evident with high correlations between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 (r between 0.83 and 0.92) and PM10 (r between 0.74 and 0.86) levels, particularly during the warm season. Indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of PM2.5 and PM10 were mostly < 1. In contrast, indoor levels of CO2 and TVOCs exceeded outdoor concentrations during both the warm and cold seasons with I/O ratios >1 across all sampling locations. Our paper concludes with implications of high PM exposure and a suggested management framework for limiting such exposure in hospitals. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd