Associations Among Home Indoor Environmental Quality Factors and Worker Health while Working from Home during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Mohamad Awada ◽  
Burcin Becerik-Gerber ◽  
Gale Lucas ◽  
Shawn Roll
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Indoor Temperature ◽  
Musculoskeletal Discomfort ◽  
Work Activities ◽  
Natural Lighting ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 virus forced office workers to conduct their daily work activities from home over an extended period. Given this unique situation, an opportunity emerged to study the satisfaction of office workers with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors of their houses where work activities took place and associate these factors with mental and physical health. We designed and administered a questionnaire that was open for 45 days during the COVID-19 pandemic and received valid data from 988 respondents. The results show that low satisfaction with natural lighting, glare and humidity predicted eye related symptoms, while low satisfaction with noise was a strong predictor of fatigue or tiredness, headaches or migraines, anxiety, and depression or sadness. Nose and throat related symptoms and skin related symptoms were only uniquely predicted by low satisfaction with humidity. Low satisfaction with glare uniquely predicted an increase in musculoskeletal discomfort. Symptoms related to mental stress, rumination or worry were predicted by low satisfaction with air quality and noise. Finally, low satisfaction with noise and indoor temperature predicted the prevalence of symptoms related to trouble concentrating, maintaining attention or focus. Workers with higher income were more satisfied with humidity, air quality and indoor temperature and had better overall mental health. Older individuals had increased satisfaction with natural lighting, humidity, air quality, noise, and indoor temperature. Findings from this study can inform future design practices that focus on hybrid home-work environments by highlighting the impact of IEQ factors on occupant well-being.

scholarly journals An IoT measurement solution for continuous indoor environmental quality monitoring for buildings renovation

ACTA IMEKO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
Serena Serroni ◽  
Marco Arnesano ◽  
Luca Violini ◽  
Gian Marco Revel
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Environmental Sensors ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sensor Configuration ◽  
Radiant Temperature ◽  
The Impact

The measurement of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) requires the acquisition of multiple quantities regarding thermal comfort and indoor air quality. The IEQ monitoring is essential to investigate the building’s performance, especially when renovation is needed to improve energy efficiency and occupants’ well-being. Thus, IEQ data should be acquired for long periods inside occupied buildings, but traditional measurement solutions could not be adequate. This paper presents the development and application of a non-intrusive and scalable IoT sensing solution for continuous IEQ measurement in occupied buildings during the renovation process. The solution is composed of an IR scanner for mean radiant temperature measurement and a desk node with environmental sensors (air temperature, relative humidity, CO2, PMs). The integration with a BIM-based renovation approach was developed to automatically retrieve building’s data required for sensor configuration and KPIs calculation. The system was installed in a nursery located in Poland to support the renovation process. IEQ performance measured before the intervention revealed issues related to radiant temperature and air quality. Using measured data, interventions were realized to improve the envelope insulation and the occupant’s behaviour. Results from post-renovation measurements showed the IEQ improvement achieved, demonstrating the impact of the sensing solution.

scholarly journals Examining the spatial relationship between environmental health factors and house prices

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. McCord ◽  
Sean MacIntyre ◽  
Paul Bidanset ◽  
Daniel Lo ◽  
Peadar Davis
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
House Prices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose Air quality, noise and proximity to urban infrastructure can arguably have an important impact on the quality of life. Environmental quality (the price of good health) has become a central tenet for consumer choice in urban locales when deciding on a residential neighbourhood. Unlike the market for most tangible goods, the market for environmental quality does not yield an observable per unit price effect. As no explicit price exists for a unit of environmental quality, this paper aims to use the housing market to derive its implicit price and test whether these constituent elements of health and well-being are indeed capitalised into property prices and thus implicitly priced in the market place. Design/methodology/approach A considerable number of studies have used hedonic pricing models by incorporating spatial effects to assess the impact of air quality, noise and proximity to noise pollutants on property market pricing. This study presents a spatial analysis of air quality and noise pollution and their association with house prices, using 2,501 sale transactions for the period 2013. To assess the impact of the pollutants, three different spatial modelling approaches are used, namely, ordinary least squares using spatial dummies, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) and a spatial lag model (SLM). Findings The findings suggest that air quality pollutants have an adverse impact on house prices, which fluctuate across the urban area. The analysis suggests that the noise level does matter, although this varies significantly over the urban setting and varies by source. Originality/value Air quality and environmental noise pollution are important concerns for health and well-being. Noise impact seems to depend not only on the noise intensity to which dwellings are exposed but also on the nature of the noise source. This may suggest the presence of other externalities that arouse social aversion. This research presents an original study utilising advanced spatial modelling approaches. The research has value in further understanding the market impact of environmental factors and in providing findings to support local air zone management strategies, noise abatement and management strategies and is of value to the wider urban planning and public health disciplines.

AN EVALUATION OF INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND OCCUPANT WELL-BEING IN MANITOBA SCHOOL BUILDINGS

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Radwan ◽  
Mohamed H. Issa
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Buildings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Green School

This exploratory research aims to evaluate indoor environmental quality in the classrooms of three school buildings in Southern Manitoba, Canada, and to evaluate the well-being of these schools' teachers as it pertains to their perception of their classrooms' indoor environment. The schools include a middle-aged, conventional school; a new, non-green school; and a new, green school certified using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. The methodology involved using a mobile instrument cart to conduct snapshot measurements of thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustics in classrooms and an occupant survey to evaluate teachers' long-term satisfaction with their classrooms' indoor environmental quality. The results showed that the new, green and new, non-green schools' classrooms performed better than the conventional, middle-aged school's classrooms with respect to some aspects of thermal comfort and indoor air quality only. Teachers in the new, green school and in the new, non-green school were more satisfied than teachers in the conventional, middle-aged school with their classrooms' overall indoor environmental quality, lighting quality and indoor air quality. Surprisingly, the new, green and new-non green school classrooms' performance were very comparable with the new, green school's classrooms performing statistically significantly better with respect to relative humidity. Similarly, none of the differences in teachers' satisfaction ratings between the new, green and new, non-green school were statistically significant.

Indoor environment quality assessment in classrooms: An integrated approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tahsildoost ◽  
Zahra S Zomorodian
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Potential Index ◽  
The Impact

Indoor Environmental Quality is an important issue in educational buildings since it is directly related to students’ well-being and learning activities. Indoor Environmental Quality parameters have been assessed in three representative campus building typologies (old, new, and retrofitted), in Tehran, Iran, by measurements and questionnaire (n = 842) from July 2016 to April 2017. Results have been compared to the students’ overall satisfaction level and recommended standards. According to results, minimum attention to local standards with regard to Indoor Air Quality, acoustic, and lighting, especially in the old and retrofitted buildings, seems the main reason of low environmental quality in the studied cases. Fitting a multiple regression model to the questionnaire data, a mathematical model is developed to predict the overall comfort (Indoor Environmental Quality index). Studied buildings have been ranked based on the Indoor Environmental Quality index from high quality: I (building C) to out of the comfort range: IV (building A). Moreover, results reveal that the acceptable range of each Indoor Environmental Quality parameters, especially with regard to thermal and acoustic comfort, is broader in real condition in comparison with the standards. Finally, the buildings’ annual energy consumption is used to propose a Retrofit Potential Index in order to assess the impact of comfort parameters on energy consumption by integrated analyses.

THE IMPACT OF THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Rus ◽  
Dorin Beu ◽  
Calin Ciugudeanu
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Impact

"The indoor environment quality is a key factor in people's lives, which directly affects their comfort, performance, health and well-being. The main factors that contribute to the indoor environmental quality are thermal comfort, air and lighting quality and acoustics. This study aims to extend the current knowledge on the impact of IEQ on students’ performance. Field measurements on environmental factors were performed in two similar classrooms, with the same number of students engaged in a written examination. Compliance of the indoor environmental parameters with the current standards regulations was performed. Students’ performance was quantified by their exam grades. The results of the field measurements show that, in both classrooms, the acoustics and air quality do not fulfil the standard regulations, especially in the case of carbon dioxide concentration which exceeds a lot the threshold limit of 1000 ppm. The outcomes of the study also reveal that in the classroom where the concentration of carbon dioxide is higher, the students scored lower grades, therefore we can conclude that indoor environmental quality has an impact on students’ performance."

scholarly journals Effects of Climatic Conditions, Season and Environmental Factors on CO2 Concentrations in Naturally Ventilated Primary Schools in Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4139
Author(s):  
Muriel Diaz ◽  
Mario Cools ◽  
Maureen Trebilcock ◽  
Beatriz Piderit-Moreno ◽  
Shady Attia
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Co2 Concentrations ◽  
The Impact

Between the ages of 6 and 18, children spend between 30 and 42 h a week at school, mostly indoors, where indoor environmental quality is usually deficient and does not favor learning. The difficulty of delivering indoor air quality (IAQ) in learning facilities is related to high occupancy rates and low interaction levels with windows. In non-industrialized countries, as in the cases presented, most classrooms have no mechanical ventilation, due to energy poverty and lack of normative requirements. This fact heavily impacts the indoor air quality and students’ learning outcomes. The aim of the paper is to identify the factors that determine acceptable CO2 concentrations. Therefore, it studies air quality in free-running and naturally ventilated primary schools in Chile, aiming to identify the impact of contextual, occupant, and building design factors, using CO2 concentration as a proxy for IAQ. The monitoring of CO2, temperature, and humidity revealed that indoor air CO2 concentration is above 1400 ppm most of the time, with peaks of 5000 ppm during the day, especially in winter. The statistical analysis indicates that CO2 is dependent on climate, seasonality, and indoor temperature, while it is independent of outside temperature in heated classrooms. The odds of having acceptable concentrations of CO2 are bigger when indoor temperatures are high, and there is a need to ventilate for cooling.

Evaluation of occupants’ well-being and perception towards indoor environmental quality in Malaysia affordable housing

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman ◽  
Ainur Mardiha Azmal
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Housing Area ◽  
Sick Building

Purpose This paper aims to identify the indoor environmental quality in an affordable housing, as well as the health condition of users. Furthermore, it aims to find the relationship between quality of the indoor environment (IEQ) and sick building syndrome (SBS) and the satisfaction level of the occupants towards the IEQ factor, as well as the importance of the factors in the occupants’ view. Additionally, the purpose of this pilot study is to validate the questionnaire and identify the possible outcome of this research for the main study. Design/methodology/approach There are a few methods to achieve the objective of this paper: first is by literature review and second is by a survey. There are two types of survey made: observation survey and questionnaire survey. The purpose of observation survey is to survey the surrounding and the condition of the apartments, while questionnaire survey was distributed to the respondents in the affordable housing area. Next, is analysis and discussion of the survey, and finally, summary. Findings Aside from achieving the validity of the questionnaire survey, the results of the survey have found that the respondents are dissatisfied with the noise and glare level, as well as the amount of artificial lighting in their unit. Additionally, they have rated health, ventilation and amount of air movement as the most important IEQ factors. More importantly, the occupants have experienced the symptoms of SBS and the health condition of the building occupants. The results show that the most frequent symptoms affected the respondents are fatigue, dizziness and a headache. Originality/value This paper has indicated the IEQ in the affordable housing and identifies the health risk of occupants, specifically in Malaysia.

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