The emission of cooking fumes becomes a serious concern due to the fast development of the restaurant business because it harms the health of restaurant workers and customers and damages the outdoor air quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of restaurant emissions on ambient air quality. Twenty restaurants with four different types of food cooking were selected in Dammam City, which represents a densely populated urban city in Saudi Arabia. Levels of five air pollutants were simultaneously measured in the restaurants’ chimneys and in the surrounding ambient air. The highest mean levels of CO (64.8 ± 44.3 ppm), CO₂ (916.7 ± 463.4 ppm), VOCs (105.1 ± 61.3 ppm), NO₂ (4.2 ± 2.4 ppm), and SO₂ (8.0 ± 7.4 ppm) were recorded in chimneys of the grilling restaurants. Similarly, the highest levels of all pollutants were recorded in the areas adjacent to the grilling restaurants rather than other types.

Objective Worldwide, dentistry is known as a high-level occupational hazard profession. Dental staff is usually exposed to several types of hazards which include chemical agents, physical, psychological stress, and workplace violence, biological and ergonomics. The objectives of this paper were to assess levels of occupational hazards and evaluate safety practices at dental clinics.Materials and Methods At several dental clinics, levels of noise, lighting, and radiation were measured by recommended instruments and the safety practice was evaluated using a validated and reliable questionnaire (during 3 months of 2020).Results The mean levels of noise ranged between 46.3 and 67.2 dB, while the noise dose percent (noise exposure level) ranged between 60.7 and 77.6 dB. The mean levels of lighting ranged from 236.3 lux in the X-ray room to 1,080.3 lux in the dental laboratory. The mean levels of radiation ranged from 7.8 to 12.1 µrem. The mean levels of the three physical hazards were lower than their permissible levels at all locations.Conclusion Levels of noise in dental clinic were affected by the change in the work activities, while this factor has no effect on the levels of lighting and radiation except for certain processes. The demographic variables such as gender, specialization, and the average number of patients showed a significant association with physical hazards, safety practices, while there was no significant association with radiation protection.

This study aimed to assess the level of IAQ (indoor air quality) through monitoring of several air pollutants inside selected homes in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and to study the most affecting factors on IAQ. Continuous 8-hour monitoring at each home during six months of 2019–2020 was conducted for six air pollutants inside and outside 200 homes, representing three main Saudi cities (Dammam, Al-Hofuf and Qatif). Measurements of six air pollutants were conducted in the kitchen, the living room and the bedroom inside each home and simultaneously outside these homes in their immediate vicinity. The highest mean levels of PM₁₀ (50.3 ± 20.0 µg/m³), CO₂ (822.9 ± 195.1 ppm) and NO₂ (0.044 ± 0.009 ppm) were found in kitchens, while the highest mean level of CO (1.27 ± 0.25 ppm) was found in living rooms. As for total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and SO₂, their levels were nearly the same at three sites (0.21 ± 0.04 ppm and 0.018 ± 0.002 ppm, respectively). Levels of PM₁₀ exceeded their air quality guidelines (AQGs) in homes that are located near industrial and agricultural areas, while levels of other air pollutants were lower than their AQGs in all regions. The increase in concentrations of air pollutants outdoors was accompanied by an increase in concentrations indoors.

A proper and adequate school environment is important for an effective learning process and for the maintenance of students' health, given that they spend a considerable amount of time at school. Safety preparedness in schools includes, for example, protection from biological, physical, and chemical risks and physical hazards associated with poor construction and maintenance practices. This study aims to evaluate safety preparedness in girls’ public schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Seventeen girls' schools were randomly selected in the Eastern Province of KSA. A designed checklist was used for this study, composed of two main parts. The first part included general information about the school, while the second part was composed of 6 items with a total of 58 questions, evaluating the school's safety preparedness. The safety preparedness in the studied schools ranged between 70 and 90%. Some safety practices were found to be adequately applied, others were poorly applied, and certain items were completely absent. Generally, some examined schools were not compliant several safety and emergency preparedness recommendations. Collaboration between the School Safety Committee and schools is essential to reach a satisfactory standard in terms of school safety. Therefore, it is recommended that the School Safety Committee engages with schools more actively, especially in terms of the preparation of a school safety management plan.

Background: A proper and adequate school environment is important for an effective learning process and maintaining the health of the students as they spend most of their time in schools. The physical school environment includes the physical structures; presence of chemicals and biological agents; and the surrounding environment, including air, water, and materials. This study aimed to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) in governmental girls’ schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: Seventeen girls’ schools were randomly selected in the Eastern Province of KSA. The indoor levels of PM10 and PM2.5, volatile organic compounds, CO, NO2, and CO2 were measured at different sites inside each school during four months of the year 2020. In addition, a pre-designed questionnaire was used to evaluate the safety preparedness in the same selected schools. Results: Levels of the six air pollutants were higher inside schools adjacent to roads with moderate traffic activity than schools with low and very low traffic activity. However, the mean level of CO2 inside the selected schools was higher than its outdoor level, suggesting the predominance of an indoor source of CO2. Levels of all measured air pollutants inside governmental constructed school buildings were higher than those inside the rental type. Conclusion: The average levels of air pollutants inside the selected schools were much lower than their air quality guidelines (AQGs), while some CO2 and NO2 levels exceeded their AQGs at some schools.