| Title: | Indoor Air Quality in Domestic Environments during Periods Close to Italian COVID-19 Lockdown |
| Author(s): | Pietrogrande MC; Casari L; Demaria G; Russo M; |
| Address: | "Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17/19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy" |
| Journal Title: | Int J Environ Res Public Health |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1660-4601 (Electronic) 1661-7827 (Print) 1660-4601 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "This paper describes the in situ monitoring of indoor air quality (IAQ) in two dwellings, using low-cost IAQ sensors to provide high-density temporal and spatial data. IAQ measurements were conducted over 2-week periods in the kitchen and bedroom of each home during the winter, spring, and summer seasons, characterized by different outside parameters, that were simultaneously measured. The mean indoor PM(2.5) concentrations were about 15 mug m(-3) in winter, they dropped to values close to 10 mug m(-3) in spring and increased to levels of about 13 mug m(-3) in summer. During the winter campaign, indoor PM(2.5) was found mainly associated with particle penetration inside the rooms from outdoors, because of the high outdoor PM(2.5) levels in the season. Such pollution winter episodes occur frequently in the study region, due to the combined contributions of strong anthropogenic emissions and stable atmospheric conditions. The concentrations of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO(2) increased with the number of occupants (humans and pets), as likely associated with consequent higher emissions through breathing and metabolic processes. They also varied with occupants' daily activities, like cooking and cleaning. Critic CO(2) levels above the limit of 1000 ppm were observed in spring campaign, in the weeks close to the end of the COVID-19 quarantine, likely associated with the increased time that the occupants spent at home" |
| Keywords: | "*Air Pollutants/analysis *Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis *covid-19 Communicable Disease Control Environmental Monitoring Humans Italy Particulate Matter/analysis SARS-CoV-2 Seasons CO2 concentration Covid-19 Pm2.5 VOCs dwellings indoor air quality low-cos;" |
| Notes: | "MedlinePietrogrande, Maria Chiara Casari, Lucia Demaria, Giorgia Russo, Mara eng Piano Lauree Scientifiche 2019/Agenzia Nazionale di Valutazione del Sistema Universitario e della Ricerca/ Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Switzerland 2021/05/01 Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 12; 18(8):4060. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18084060" |
