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Hospitals host vulnerable people with potentially enhanced sensitivity to air pollutants. We measured particulate matter (PM) including PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 with a portable device in a hospital, a nearby reference building, and ambient air in Shiraz, Iran. Indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio values were calculated to infer on the origin of size-fractioned PM. The mean hospital indoor concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 (4.7 and 38.7 μg/m3, respectively) but not PM1 were higher than in the reference building and lower than in ambient air. The highest hospital PM10 mean concentrations were found in the radiotherapy ward (77.5 μg/m3) and radiology ward (70.4 μg/m3) while the lowest were found in the bone marrow transplantation (BMT) ward (18.5 μg/m3) and cardiac surgery ward (19.8 μg/m3). The highest PM2.5 concentrations were found in the radiology (8.7 μg/m3) and orthopaedic wards (7.7 μg/m3) while the lowest were found in the BMT ward (2.8 μg/m3) and cardiac surgery ward (2.8 μg/m3). The I/O ratios and the timing of peak concentrations during the day (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.) indicated the main roles of outdoor air and human activity on the indoor levels. These suggest the need for mechanical ventilation with PM control for a better indoor air quality (IAQ) in the hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Exposures at hairdressers' work have been reported to lead to an increased risk of several health outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the relations between occupational exposures and respiratory symptoms and lung function among hairdressers in Iran. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare potential respiratory effects among 140 women working as hairdressers to such effects among 140 women working as office workers (administrative personnel). Both groups worked in Shiraz, Iran. Respiratory symptoms were assessed by a standard respiratory questionnaire. The questionnaire also inquired about substances used and workspace conditions, including ventilation type. Lung function levels were measured by spirometry. Results: Respiratory symptoms, including cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness were significantly more frequent in hairdressers compared to the reference group (p < 0.05). After controlling for potential confounders, hairdressers had a prevalence ratio (PR) of 2.18 (95% CI 1.26–3.77) for cough, 9.59 (95% CI 1.004–91.73) for wheezing, 2.06 (95% CI 1.25–3.39) for shortness of breath, and 3.31 (95% CI 1.84–5.97) for chest tightness compared to the reference group. Lung function parameters (including VC, FVC, and FEV1) were significantly reduced in hairdressers (p < 0.001). Absence of air conditioning predicted greater reduction in lung function (p < 0.05) in the exposed. Decrease in FVC with normal FEV1/FVC in the exposed group suggested existence of restrictive lung function. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and restrictive lung function impairment among hairdressers in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between indoor and outdoor particulate air pollution was investigated at an urban background site on the Payambar Azam Campus of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Sari, Northern Iran. The concentration of particulate matter sized with a diameter less than 1 μm (PM), 2.5 μm (PM), and 10 μm (PM) was evaluated at 5 outdoor and 12 indoor locations. Indoor sites included classrooms, corridors, and office sites in four university buildings. Outdoor PM concentrations were characterized at five locations around the university campus. Indoor and outdoor PM measurements (1-min resolution) were conducted in parallel during weekday mornings and afternoons. No difference found between indoor PM (50.1 ± 32.1 μg/m) and outdoor PM concentrations (46.5 ± 26.0 μg/m), indoor PM (22.6 ± 17.4 μg/m) and outdoor PM concentration (22.2 ± 15.4 μg/m), or indoor PM (14.5 ± 13.4 μg/m) and outdoor mean PM concentrations (14.2 ± 12.3 μg/m). Despite these similar concentrations, no correlations were found between outdoor and indoor PM levels. The present findings are not only of importance for the potential health effects of particulate air pollution on people who spend their daytime over a period of several hours in closed and confined spaces located at a university campus but also can inform regulatory about the improvement of indoor air quality, especially in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though clean air is considered as a basic requirement for the maintenance of human health, air pollution continues to pose a significant health threat in developed and developing countries alike. Monitoring and modeling of classic and emerging pollutants is vital to our knowledge of health outcomes in exposed subjects and to our ability to predict them. The ability to anticipate and manage changes in atmospheric pollutant concentrations relies on an accurate representation of the chemical state of the atmosphere. The task of providing the best possible analysis of air pollution thus requires efficient computational tools enabling efficient integration of observational data into models. A number of air quality models have been developed and play an important role in air quality management. Even though a large number of air quality models have been discussed or applied, their heterogeneity makes it difficult to select one approach above the others. This paper provides a brief review on air quality models with respect to several aspects such as prediction of health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been used for the rapid removal of four trihalomethanes (THMs) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of THMs onto MWCNTs was reasonably constant in the pH range of 5-7 but decreased as the pH exceeded 7. Four equilibrium isotherm models, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Sips, were applied to determine the best-fit equilibrium expressions. The results showed that all four experimental adsorption isotherms were best correlated by using the Sips model. The maximum adsorption capacities for the CHCl, CHClBr, CHClBr and CHBr were found to be 10.98, 6.85, 6.57, and 5.95 mg/g, respectively. The rate of adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Furthermore, four nonlinear regression-based equations were also derived to model THM adsorption from aqueous solutions by MWCNTs. The modeling results clearly indicated that the empirical formulations satisfactorily described the behavior of the present adsorption process for CHCl ( R = 0.949), CHClBr ( R = 0.945), CHClBr ( R = 0.936), and CHBr ( R = 0.919). The overall results confirmed that MWCNTs could be a promising adsorbent material for THMs removal from aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ambient air of hospitals contains a wide range of biological and chemical pollutants. Exposure to these indoor pollutants can be hazardous to the health of hospital staff. This study aims to evaluate the factors affecting indoor air quality and their effect on the respiratory health of staff members in a busy Iranian hospital. We surveyed 226 hospital staff as a case group and 222 office staff as a control group. All the subjects were asked to fill in a standard respiratory questionnaire. Pulmonary function parameters were simultaneously measured via a spirometry test. Environmental measurements of bio-aerosols, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds in the hospital and offices were conducted. T-tests, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze the data. The concentration of selected air pollutants measured in the hospital wards was more than those in the administrative wards. Parameters of pulmonary functions were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) between the two groups. However, respiratory symptoms such as coughs, phlegm, phlegmatic coughs, and wheezing were more prevalent among the hospital staff. Laboratory staff members were more at risk of respiratory symptoms compared to other occupational groups in the hospital. The prevalence of sputum among nurses was significant, and the odds ratio for the presence of phlegm among nurses was 4.61 times greater than office staff (p = 0.002). The accumulation of indoor pollutants in the hospital environment revealed the failure of hospital ventilation systems. Hence, the design and implementation of an improved ventilation system in the studied hospital is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]