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Vilčeková S, Burdová EK, Kiseľák J, Sedláková A, Mečiarová ĽV, Moňoková A, Doroudiani S. Assessment of indoor environmental quality and seasonal well-being of students in a combined historic technical school building in Slovakia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1524. [PMID: 37994965 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12147-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
One of the major present challenges in the building sector is to construct sustainable and low-energy buildings with a healthy, safe, and comfortable environment. This study is designed to explore long-term impacts of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters in a historic technical school building on the health and comfort of students. The main objective is to identify environmental problems in schools and to direct public policy towards the enhancement of in-service historic buildings. The collected data on five consecutive days in various seasons from five different classrooms indicate allergy in 45% and asthma in 10% of students. Environmental factors, such as temperature, draught, noise, or light, affected 51% of students' attention. Low temperature, unpleasant air, noise, and draught were found to be the most frequent concerns for students. The lowest temperature was measured during spring at 17.6 °C, the lowest humidity of 21.1% in winter, the largest CO2 amount in the air in autumn at 2041 ppm level, and the greatest total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) as 514 µg/m3. The experimental and statistical analysis results suggest the necessity of a comprehensive restoration of the building with a focus on enhancement of IEQ as well as replacement of old non-standard materials. An effective ventilation system is also necessary. The building requires major renovations to preserve its historic features while safeguarding the well-being and comfort of students and staff. Further research is needed on acoustics, lighting, and energy factors as well as the health effects of old building materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Vilčeková
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Sustainable and Circular Construction, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 042 00, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Eva Krídlová Burdová
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Sustainable and Circular Construction, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 042 00, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Jozef Kiseľák
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Mathematics, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 04001, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Anna Sedláková
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Architectural Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 042 00, Košice, Slovak Republic
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Turgeon N, Michel K, Ha TL, Robine E, Moineau S, Duchaine C. Resistance of Aerosolized Bacterial Viruses to Four Germicidal Products. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168815. [PMID: 28030577 PMCID: PMC5193356 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral diseases can spread through a variety of routes including aerosols. Yet, limited data are available on the efficacy of aerosolized chemicals to reduce viral loads in the air. Bacteriophages (phages) are often used as surrogates for hazardous viruses in aerosol studies because they are inexpensive, easy to handle, and safe for laboratory workers. Moreover, several of these bacterial viruses display physical characteristics similar to pathogenic human and animal viruses, like morphological size, type of nucleic acids, capsid morphology, and the presence of an envelope. In this study, the efficacy of four chemicals was evaluated on four airborne phages at two different relative humidity levels. Non-tailed bacteriophages MS2 (single-stranded RNA), ϕ6 (double-stranded RNA, enveloped), PR772 (double-stranded DNA), and ϕX174 (single-stranded DNA) were first aerosolized in a 55L rotative environmental chamber at 19°C with 25% and 50% relative humidity. Then, hydrogen peroxide, Eugenol (phenylpropene used in commercial perfumes and flavorings), Mist® (automobile disinfectant containing Triethylene glycol), and Pledge® (multisurface disinfectant containing Isopropanol, n-Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Amonium Chlorides, and n-Alkyl Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride) were nebulized with the phages using a separate nebulizer. Aerosols were maintained in suspension during 10 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. Viral aerosols were sampled using an SKC BioSampler and samples were analyzed using qPCR and plaque assays. The resistance levels of the four phages varied depending on the relative humidity (RH) and germicidal products tested. Phage MS2 was the most stable airborne virus under the environmental conditions tested while phage PR772 was the least stable. Pledge® and Eugenol reduced the infectivity of all airborne phages tested. At 25% RH, Pledge® and Eugenol were more effective at reducing infectivity of RNA phages ϕ6 and MS2. At 50% RH, Pledge® was the most effective agent against phage MS2. These findings illustrate that various airborne viruses should be tested to demonstrate the effectiveness of germicidal treatments. This research also provides a set of parameters for testing germicidal products in large-scale settings to reduce the risk of virus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Turgeon
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Kevin Michel
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Thi-Lan Ha
- Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, Champs-sur-Marne, Marne la Vallée cedex, France
| | - Enric Robine
- Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, Champs-sur-Marne, Marne la Vallée cedex, France
| | - Sylvain Moineau
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Félix d’Hérelle Reference Center for Bacterial Viruses and GREB, Faculté de médecine dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Caroline Duchaine
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
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