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Indoor particle sources are recognized as detrimental for indoor air quality. Indeed, the high emission rates of the different aerosol metrics and carcinogenic compounds can lead to a high lung cancer risk for people exposed in indoor environments. A-priori lung cancer risk assessments could be very helpful to identify critical environments and sources, but they need complex and site-specific experimental analyses in order to measure particle concentration levels and chemical compositions. Thus, simplified assessments for lung cancer risks are highly welcomed. In the present paper, a simplified approach aiming at evaluating the lung cancer risk related to airborne particles emitted is proposed and applied to different indoor sources. The approach is based on the combination of (i) a recently developed approach to estimate the “emitted risk” of indoor particle sources and (ii) an easy-to-use mass balance equation to calculate the indoor “risk concentration” due to such emitted risk in an indoor environment. Simulations considering different scenarios in terms of previously characterized sources, ventilation rates, and exposure mitigation solutions were performed. The results show that the “risk emitted” is mostly related to sub-micron particles (with respect to super-micron ones) and that the lung cancer risk received by people in indoor environments can be extremely high for different sources, e.g. cooking activities. The ventilation rates of residential environments are not able to appreciably reduce the risk, whereas extraction hoods and air purifiers can significantly decrease it.
E. Caracci; L. Stabile; G. Buonanno. A simplified approach to evaluate the lung cancer risk related to airborne particles emitted by indoor sources. Building and Environment 2021, 204, 108143 .
AMA StyleE. Caracci, L. Stabile, G. Buonanno. A simplified approach to evaluate the lung cancer risk related to airborne particles emitted by indoor sources. Building and Environment. 2021; 204 ():108143.
Chicago/Turabian StyleE. Caracci; L. Stabile; G. Buonanno. 2021. "A simplified approach to evaluate the lung cancer risk related to airborne particles emitted by indoor sources." Building and Environment 204, no. : 108143.
Ventilation in built environments is essential to guarantee a good indoor air quality and a reduced probability of infection related to virus transmission. Measuring ventilation-related parameters is not easy and currently two methods can be adopted: pressurization and tracer gas decay. The pressurization test measures the airtightness of the building, whereas the tracer gas decay test measures the actual (site- and climate-specific) air exchange rate. Finding a relationship amongst the results provided by the two tests would be very useful in view of an exhaustive characterization of the building ventilation, but it still remains an open challenge for the scientific literature. The present paper aims at investigating the criticalities in correlating the two methods; thus, an experimental campaign was performed in a multi-room dwelling performing both air permeability and air exchange rate measurements in the entire dwelling and in parts of it. A detailed uncertainty budget of the two methods was also carried out in order to perform metrological compatibility analyses. The results of the campaign highlighted that the actual air exchange rates of the dwelling present a huge variability (from <0.2 to almost 1 h-1) due to the weather conditions. Consequently, the conversion factor between the air exchange rates at 50 Pa, provided by the blower door tests, and the actual air exchange rates, obtained through the tracer gas decay tests, ranged from 100, with an exponential decrease as the wind velocity increases. Thus, adopting constant conversion factors could significantly overestimate the actual ventilation of the building.
A. Frattolillo; L. Stabile; M. Dell’Isola. Natural ventilation measurements in a multi-room dwelling: Critical aspects and comparability of pressurization and tracer gas decay tests. Journal of Building Engineering 2021, 42, 102478 .
AMA StyleA. Frattolillo, L. Stabile, M. Dell’Isola. Natural ventilation measurements in a multi-room dwelling: Critical aspects and comparability of pressurization and tracer gas decay tests. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021; 42 ():102478.
Chicago/Turabian StyleA. Frattolillo; L. Stabile; M. Dell’Isola. 2021. "Natural ventilation measurements in a multi-room dwelling: Critical aspects and comparability of pressurization and tracer gas decay tests." Journal of Building Engineering 42, no. : 102478.
Reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through indoor air is the key challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crowded indoor environments, such as schools, represent possible hotspots for virus transmission since the basic non-pharmaceutical mitigation measures applied so far (e.g. social distancing) do not eliminate the airborne transmission mode. There is widespread consensus that improved ventilation is needed to minimize the transmission potential of airborne viruses in schools, whether through mechanical systems or ad-hoc manual airing procedures in naturally ventilated buildings. However, there remains significant uncertainty surrounding exactly what ventilation rates are required, and how to best achieve these targets with limited time and resources. This paper uses a mass balance approach to quantify the ability of both mechanical ventilation and ad-hoc airing procedures to mitigate airborne transmission risk in the classroom environment. For naturally-ventilated classrooms, we propose a novel feedback control strategy using CO2 concentrations to continuously monitor and adjust the airing procedure. Our case studies show how such procedures can be applied in the real world to support the reopening of schools during the pandemic. Our results also show the inadequacy of relying on absolute CO2 concentration thresholds as the sole indicator of airborne transmission risk.
L. Stabile; A. Pacitto; A. Mikszewski; L. Morawska; G. Buonanno. Ventilation procedures to minimize the airborne transmission of viruses at schools. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleL. Stabile, A. Pacitto, A. Mikszewski, L. Morawska, G. Buonanno. Ventilation procedures to minimize the airborne transmission of viruses at schools. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleL. Stabile; A. Pacitto; A. Mikszewski; L. Morawska; G. Buonanno. 2021. "Ventilation procedures to minimize the airborne transmission of viruses at schools." , no. : 1.
In the present study, the daily dose in terms of particle surface area received by citizens living in different low- and middle-income countries, characterized by different lifestyles, habits, and climates, was evaluated. The level of exposure to submicron particles and the dose received by the populations of Accra (Ghana), Cairo (Egypt), Florianopolis (Brazil), and Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) were analyzed. A direct exposure assessment approach was adopted to measure the submicron particle concentration levels of volunteers at a personal scale during their daily activities. Non-smoking adult volunteers performing non-industrial jobs were considered. Exposure data were combined with time-activity pattern data (characteristic of each population) and the inhalation rates to estimate the daily dose in terms of particle surface area. The received dose of the populations under investigation varied from 450 mm2 (Florianopolis, Brazil) to 1300 mm2 (Cairo, Egypt). This work highlights the different contributions of the microenvironments to the daily dose with respect to high-income western populations. It was evident that the contribution of the Cooking & Eating microenvironment to the total exposure (which was previously proven to be one of the main exposure routes for western populations) was only 8%–14% for low- and middle-income populations. In contrast, significant contributions were estimated for Outdoor day and Transport microenvironments (up to 20% for Cairo, Egypt) and the Sleeping & Resting microenvironment (up to 28% for Accra, Ghana), highlighting the effects of different site-specific lifestyles (e.g. time-activity patterns), habits, socioeconomic conditions, climates, and outdoor air quality.
Antonio Pacitto; Luca Stabile; Lidia Morawska; Mawutorli Nyarku; Mehdi Amouei Torkmahalleh; Zarina Akhmetvaliyeva; Alexandro Andrade; Fabio Hech Dominski; Paride Mantecca; Waleed H. Shetaya; Mandana Mazaheri; Rohan Jayaratne; Sara Marchetti; Salwa K. Hassan; Asmaa El-Mekawy; Elham F. Mohamed; Laura Canale; Andrea Frattolillo; Giorgio Buonanno. Daily submicron particle doses received by populations living in different low- and middle-income countries. Environmental Pollution 2020, 269, 116229 .
AMA StyleAntonio Pacitto, Luca Stabile, Lidia Morawska, Mawutorli Nyarku, Mehdi Amouei Torkmahalleh, Zarina Akhmetvaliyeva, Alexandro Andrade, Fabio Hech Dominski, Paride Mantecca, Waleed H. Shetaya, Mandana Mazaheri, Rohan Jayaratne, Sara Marchetti, Salwa K. Hassan, Asmaa El-Mekawy, Elham F. Mohamed, Laura Canale, Andrea Frattolillo, Giorgio Buonanno. Daily submicron particle doses received by populations living in different low- and middle-income countries. Environmental Pollution. 2020; 269 ():116229.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Pacitto; Luca Stabile; Lidia Morawska; Mawutorli Nyarku; Mehdi Amouei Torkmahalleh; Zarina Akhmetvaliyeva; Alexandro Andrade; Fabio Hech Dominski; Paride Mantecca; Waleed H. Shetaya; Mandana Mazaheri; Rohan Jayaratne; Sara Marchetti; Salwa K. Hassan; Asmaa El-Mekawy; Elham F. Mohamed; Laura Canale; Andrea Frattolillo; Giorgio Buonanno. 2020. "Daily submicron particle doses received by populations living in different low- and middle-income countries." Environmental Pollution 269, no. : 116229.
In this work, we characterise the performance of a Sharp optical aerosol sensor model GP2Y1010AU0F. The sensor was exposed to different environments: to a clean room, to a controlled atmosphere with known aerosol size distribution and to the ambient atmosphere on a busy city street. During the exposure, the output waveforms of the sensor pulses were digitised, saved and a following offline analysis enabled us to study the behaviour of the sensor pulse-by-pulse. A linear response of the sensor on number concentration of the monosized dispersed PSL particles was shown together with an almost linear dependence on particle diameters in the 0.4 to 4 micrometer range. The gathered data about the sensor were used to predict its response to an ambient atmosphere, which was observed simultaneously with a calibrated optical particle counter.
Klemen Bučar; Jeanne Malet; Luca Stabile; Jure Pražnikar; Stefan Seeger; Matjaž Žitnik. Statistics of a Sharp GP2Y Low-Cost Aerosol PM Sensor Output Signals. Sensors 2020, 20, 6707 .
AMA StyleKlemen Bučar, Jeanne Malet, Luca Stabile, Jure Pražnikar, Stefan Seeger, Matjaž Žitnik. Statistics of a Sharp GP2Y Low-Cost Aerosol PM Sensor Output Signals. Sensors. 2020; 20 (23):6707.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKlemen Bučar; Jeanne Malet; Luca Stabile; Jure Pražnikar; Stefan Seeger; Matjaž Žitnik. 2020. "Statistics of a Sharp GP2Y Low-Cost Aerosol PM Sensor Output Signals." Sensors 20, no. 23: 6707.
Airborne transmission is a recognized pathway of contagion; however, it is rarely quantitatively evaluated. The numerous outbreaks that have occurred during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic are putting a demand on researchers to develop approaches capable of both predicting contagion in closed environments (predictive assessment) and analyzing previous infections (retrospective assessment). This study presents a novel approach for quantitative assessment of the individual infection risk of susceptible subjects exposed in indoor microenvironments in the presence of an asymptomatic infected SARS-CoV-2 subject. The application of a Monte Carlo method allowed the risk for an exposed healthy subject to be evaluated or, starting from an acceptable risk, the maximum exposure time. We applied the proposed approach to four distinct scenarios for a prospective assessment, highlighting that, in order to guarantee an acceptable risk of 10−3 for exposed subjects in naturally ventilated indoor environments, the exposure time could be well below one hour. Such maximum exposure time clearly depends on the viral load emission of the infected subject and on the exposure conditions; thus, longer exposure times were estimated for mechanically ventilated indoor environments and lower viral load emissions. The proposed approach was used for retrospective assessment of documented outbreaks in a restaurant in Guangzhou (China) and at a choir rehearsal in Mount Vernon (USA), showing that, in both cases, the high attack rate values can be justified only assuming the airborne transmission as the main route of contagion. Moreover, we show that such outbreaks are not caused by the rare presence of a superspreader, but can be likely explained by the co-existence of conditions, including emission and exposure parameters, leading to a highly probable event, which can be defined as a “superspreading event”.
G. Buonanno; L. Morawska; L. Stabile. Quantitative assessment of the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Prospective and retrospective applications. Environment International 2020, 145, 106112 -106112.
AMA StyleG. Buonanno, L. Morawska, L. Stabile. Quantitative assessment of the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Prospective and retrospective applications. Environment International. 2020; 145 ():106112-106112.
Chicago/Turabian StyleG. Buonanno; L. Morawska; L. Stabile. 2020. "Quantitative assessment of the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Prospective and retrospective applications." Environment International 145, no. : 106112-106112.
In everyday life, people are exposed to different concentrations of airborne particles depending on the microenvironment where they perform their different activities. Such exposure can lead to high sub-micron particle doses. The received dose depends on particle concentration to which people are exposed (typically expressed in terms of number or surface area), time spent in each activity or microenvironment (time activity pattern) and amount of air inhaled (inhalation rate). To estimate an actual value of the received dose, all these parameters should be measured under real-life conditions; in fact, the concentrations should be measured on a personal scale (i.e. through a direct exposure assessment), whereas time activity patterns and inhalation rates specific to the activity performed should be considered. The difficulties in obtaining direct measurements of these parameters usually lead to adopt time activity patterns and inhalation rates already available in scientific literature for typical populations, and local outdoor particle concentrations measured with fixed monitoring stations and extrapolated for all the other microenvironments. To overcome these limitations, we propose a full-field method for estimating the received dose of a population sample, in which all the parameters (concentration levels, time activity patterns and inhalation rates) are measured under real-life conditions (also including the inhalation rates, that were evaluated on the basis of the measured heart rates). Specifically, 34 volunteers were continuously monitored for seven days and the data of sub-micron particle concentrations, activities performed, and inhalation rates were recorded. The received dose was calculated with the proposed method and compared with those obtained from different simplified methodologies that consider typical data of particle concentrations, time activity patterns and inhalation rates obtained from literature. The results show that, depending on the methodology used, the differences in the received daily dose can be significant, with a general underestimation of the most simplified method.
Mauro Scungio; Valeria Rizza; Luca Stabile; Lidia Morawska; Giorgio Buonanno. Influence of methodology on the estimation of the particle surface area dose received by a population in all-day activities. Environmental Pollution 2020, 266, 115209 .
AMA StyleMauro Scungio, Valeria Rizza, Luca Stabile, Lidia Morawska, Giorgio Buonanno. Influence of methodology on the estimation of the particle surface area dose received by a population in all-day activities. Environmental Pollution. 2020; 266 ():115209.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Scungio; Valeria Rizza; Luca Stabile; Lidia Morawska; Giorgio Buonanno. 2020. "Influence of methodology on the estimation of the particle surface area dose received by a population in all-day activities." Environmental Pollution 266, no. : 115209.
The new particle formation due to the use of cleaning products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor environments is well documented in the scientific literature. Indeed, the physical‐chemical process occurring in particle nucleation due to VOC‐ozone reactions was deepened as well as the effect of the main influencing parameters (ie, temperature, ozone). Nonetheless, proper quantification of the emission under actual meteo‐climatic conditions and ozone concentrations is not available. To this end, in the present paper the emission factors of newly generated ultrafine particles due to the use of different floor cleaning products under actual temperature and relative humidity conditions and ozone concentrations typical of the summer periods were evaluated. Tests in a chamber and in an actual indoor environment were performed measuring continuously particle number concentrations and size distributions during cleaning activities. The tests revealed that a significant particle emission in the nucleation mode was present for half of the products under investigation with emission factors up to 1.1 × 1011 part./m2 (8.8 × 1010 part./mLproduct), then leading to an overall particle emission comparable to other well‐known indoor sources when cleaning wide surfaces.
Luca Stabile; Gianmarco De Luca; Antonio Pacitto; Lidia Morawska; Pasquale Avino; Giorgio Buonanno. Ultrafine particle emission from floor cleaning products. Indoor Air 2020, 31, 63 -73.
AMA StyleLuca Stabile, Gianmarco De Luca, Antonio Pacitto, Lidia Morawska, Pasquale Avino, Giorgio Buonanno. Ultrafine particle emission from floor cleaning products. Indoor Air. 2020; 31 (1):63-73.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLuca Stabile; Gianmarco De Luca; Antonio Pacitto; Lidia Morawska; Pasquale Avino; Giorgio Buonanno. 2020. "Ultrafine particle emission from floor cleaning products." Indoor Air 31, no. 1: 63-73.
Airborne transmission is a recognized pathway of contagion; however, it is rarely quantitatively evaluated. This study presents a novel approach for quantitative assessment of the individual infection risk of susceptible subjects exposed in indoor microenvironments in the presence of an asymptomatic infected SARS-CoV-2 subject. The approach allowed the maximum risk for an exposed healthy subject to be evaluated or, starting from an acceptable risk, the maximum exposure time. We applied the proposed approach to four distinct scenarios for a prospective assessment, highlighting that, in order to guarantee an acceptable individual risk of 10−3 for exposed subjects in naturally ventilated indoor environments, the exposure time should be shorter than 20 min. The proposed approach was used for retrospective assessment of documented outbreaks in a restaurant in Guangzhou (China) and at a choir rehearsal in Mount Vernon (USA), showing that, in both cases, the high attack rate values can be justified only assuming the airborne transmission as the main route of contagion. Moreover, we shown that such outbreaks are not caused by the rare presence of a superspreader, but can be likely explained by the co-existence of conditions, including emission and exposure parameters, leading to a highly probable event, which can be defined as a “superspreading event”.
Giorgio Buonanno; Lidia Morawska; Luca Stabile. Quantitative assessment of the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: prospective and retrospective applications. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Buonanno, Lidia Morawska, Luca Stabile. Quantitative assessment of the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: prospective and retrospective applications. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Buonanno; Lidia Morawska; Luca Stabile. 2020. "Quantitative assessment of the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection: prospective and retrospective applications." , no. : 1.
Airborne transmission is a pathway of contagion that is still not sufficiently investigated despite the evidence in the scientific literature of the role it can play in the context of an epidemic. While the medical research area dedicates efforts to find cures and remedies to counteract the effects of a virus, the engineering area is involved in providing risk assessments in indoor environments by simulating the airborne transmission of the virus during an epidemic. To this end, virus air emission data are needed. Unfortunately, this information is usually available only after the outbreak, based on specific reverse engineering cases. In this work, a novel approach to estimate the viral load emitted by a contagious subject on the basis of the viral load in the mouth, the type of respiratory activity (e.g. breathing, speaking, whispering), respiratory physiological parameters (e.g. inhalation rate), and activity level (e.g. resting, standing, light exercise) is proposed. The results showed that high quanta emission rates (>100 quanta h−1) can be reached by an asymptomatic infectious SARS-CoV-2 subject performing vocalization during light activities (i.e. walking slowly) whereas a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 subject in resting conditions mostly has a low quanta emission rate (<1 quantum h−1). The findings in terms of quanta emission rates were then adopted in infection risk models to demonstrate its application by evaluating the number of people infected by an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 subject in Italian indoor microenvironments before and after the introduction of virus containment measures. The results obtained from the simulations clearly highlight that a key role is played by proper ventilation in containment of the virus in indoor environments.
G. Buonanno; L. Stabile; L. Morawska. Estimation of airborne viral emission: Quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment. Environment International 2020, 141, 105794 -105794.
AMA StyleG. Buonanno, L. Stabile, L. Morawska. Estimation of airborne viral emission: Quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment. Environment International. 2020; 141 ():105794-105794.
Chicago/Turabian StyleG. Buonanno; L. Stabile; L. Morawska. 2020. "Estimation of airborne viral emission: Quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment." Environment International 141, no. : 105794-105794.
In the present study, the daily dose in terms of submicron particle surface area received by children attending schools located in three different areas (rural, suburban, and urban), characterized by different outdoor concentrations, was evaluated. For this purpose, the exposure to submicron particle concentration levels of the children were measured through a direct exposure assessment approach. In particular, measurements of particle number and lung-deposited surface area concentrations at “personal scale” of 60 children were performed through a handheld particle counter to obtain exposure data in the different microenvironments they resided. Such data were combined with the time–activity pattern data, characteristics of each child, and inhalation rates (related to the activity performed) to obtain the total daily dose in terms of particle surface area. The highest daily dose was estimated for children attending the schools located in the urban and suburban areas (>1000 mm2), whereas the lowest value was estimated for children attending the school located in a rural area (646 mm2). Non-school indoor environments were recognized as the most influential in terms of children’s exposure and, thus, of received dose (>70%), whereas school environments contribute not significantly to the children daily dose, with dose fractions of 15–19% for schools located in urban and suburban areas and just 6% for the rural one. Therefore, the study clearly demonstrates that, whatever the school location, the children daily dose cannot be determined on the basis of the exposures in outdoor or school environments, but a direct assessment able to investigate the exposure of children during indoor environment is essential.
Antonio Pacitto; Luca Stabile; Stefania Russo; Giorgio Buonanno. Exposure to Submicron Particles and Estimation of the Dose Received by Children in School and Non-School Environments. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 485 .
AMA StyleAntonio Pacitto, Luca Stabile, Stefania Russo, Giorgio Buonanno. Exposure to Submicron Particles and Estimation of the Dose Received by Children in School and Non-School Environments. Atmosphere. 2020; 11 (5):485.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Pacitto; Luca Stabile; Stefania Russo; Giorgio Buonanno. 2020. "Exposure to Submicron Particles and Estimation of the Dose Received by Children in School and Non-School Environments." Atmosphere 11, no. 5: 485.
Airborne transmission is a pathway of contagion that is still not sufficiently investigated despite the evidence in the scientific literature of the role it can play in the context of an epidemic. While the medical research area dedicates efforts to find cures and remedies to counteract the effects of a virus, the engineering area is involved in providing risk assessments in indoor environments by simulating the airborne transmission of the virus during an epidemic. To this end, virus air emission data are needed. Unfortunately, this information is usually available only after the outbreak, based on specific reverse engineering cases. In this work, a novel approach to estimate the viral load emitted by a contagious subject on the basis of the viral load in the mouth, the type of respiratory activity (e.g. breathing, speaking), respiratory physiological parameters (e.g. inhalation rate), and activity level (e.g. resting, standing, light exercise) is proposed. The estimates of the proposed approach are in good agreement with values of viral loads of well-known diseases from the literature. The quanta emission rates of an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected subject, with a viral load in the mouth of 108 copies mL−1, were 10.5 quanta h−1 and 320 quanta h−1 for breathing and speaking respiratory activities, respectively, at rest. In the case of light activity, the values would increase to 33.9 quanta h−1 and 1.03×103 quanta h−1, respectively.The findings in terms of quanta emission rates were then adopted in infection risk models to demonstrate its application by evaluating the number of people infected by an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 subject in Italian indoor microenvironments before and after the introduction of virus containment measures. The results obtained from the simulations clearly highlight that a key role is played by proper ventilation in containment of the virus in indoor environments.
Giorgio Buonanno; Luca Stabile; Lidia Morawska. Estimation of airborne viral emission: quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Buonanno, Luca Stabile, Lidia Morawska. Estimation of airborne viral emission: quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Buonanno; Luca Stabile; Lidia Morawska. 2020. "Estimation of airborne viral emission: quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment." , no. : 1.
European countries have made progress in reducing particulate air pollution in recent decades being concerned about their heath and climate effect. In addition to determining particulate number size distributions, it is crucial to have a methodology to determine size distribution of elemental concentrations down to the ultrafine size fraction. The present study shows capabilities for combination of May-type cascade impactor sampling and laboratory total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis on ambient aerosol samples taken in urban areas of Budapest (Hungary) and Cassino (Italy). In addition, results for a sample collected in Budapest during the fireworks provided for the Hungarian National Day are discussed. The combined novel method is suitable for determining size distributions for major and trace elemental concentrations form ultrafine to coarse particles (70 nm up to 10 μm) in seven size fractions. Moreover, short sampling times (1–4 h) are sufficient for reaching detection limits in the range of 100 pg/m3 for transition metals. The size and time resolution were found to be optimal for identifying pollution episodes with elevated elemental concentrations. The in-the-field analytical applicability of the proposed method for major and trace elements is demonstrated by comparison to elemental size distributions resulted from destructive analytical techniques.
János Osán; Endre Börcsök; Ottó Czömpöly; Csenge Dian; Veronika Groma; Luca Stabile; Szabina Török. Experimental evaluation of the in-the-field capabilities of total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis to trace fine and ultrafine aerosol particles in populated areas. Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy 2020, 167, 105852 .
AMA StyleJános Osán, Endre Börcsök, Ottó Czömpöly, Csenge Dian, Veronika Groma, Luca Stabile, Szabina Török. Experimental evaluation of the in-the-field capabilities of total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis to trace fine and ultrafine aerosol particles in populated areas. Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy. 2020; 167 ():105852.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJános Osán; Endre Börcsök; Ottó Czömpöly; Csenge Dian; Veronika Groma; Luca Stabile; Szabina Török. 2020. "Experimental evaluation of the in-the-field capabilities of total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis to trace fine and ultrafine aerosol particles in populated areas." Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy 167, no. : 105852.
One of the most important functions of air conditioning systems in operating rooms is to protect occupants against pathogenic agents transported by air. This protection is done by simultaneously controlling the air distribution, temperature, humidity, filtration and infiltration from other areas etc. Due to their low price, simple installation, operation and maintenance, window/wall air conditioning system have largely been used in operating rooms in Brazil, even if these types of equipment only recirculate the air inside the room without appropriate filtration and renovation with outdoor air. In this context, this work aims to analyse the performance of the window/wall air conditioning systems on indoor air ventilation in operating rooms by measuring particle number concentrations and carbon dioxide concentrations during different surgical procedures, in a single surgical room and in the nearby areas (corridor) for two cases: single surgery and two subsequent surgeries. In addition, the efficiency of the analysed air conditioning system was evaluated by comparing the ventilation level calculated in the surgical room with the ventilation required in order to maintain the carbon dioxide concentration within acceptable levels. The results showed that this type of air conditioning system is not appropriate for use in operating rooms since it cannot provide an adequate level of ventilation. The CO2 concentrations during surgeries, in fact, significantly exceeded acceptable values and a simultaneous increase in particle number concentration was observed. The results also showed that there is a high risk of contamination between subsequent surgeries in the same surgical room, due to residues of contaminants transported by the particles emitted during the surgeries that were not removed from the operating room by the air conditioning system. The particle number concentration measured in the second surgery, in fact, was approximately six times higher than in the first surgery.
Marcelo Pereira; Arlindo Tribess; Giorgio Buonanno; Luca Stabile; Mauro Scungio; Ilaria Baffo. Particle and Carbon Dioxide Concentration Levels in a Surgical Room Conditioned with a Window/Wall Air-Conditioning System. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 1180 .
AMA StyleMarcelo Pereira, Arlindo Tribess, Giorgio Buonanno, Luca Stabile, Mauro Scungio, Ilaria Baffo. Particle and Carbon Dioxide Concentration Levels in a Surgical Room Conditioned with a Window/Wall Air-Conditioning System. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (4):1180.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarcelo Pereira; Arlindo Tribess; Giorgio Buonanno; Luca Stabile; Mauro Scungio; Ilaria Baffo. 2020. "Particle and Carbon Dioxide Concentration Levels in a Surgical Room Conditioned with a Window/Wall Air-Conditioning System." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 4: 1180.
Indoor school gyms are environments characterized by high concentrations of different airborne particulate and gaseous pollutants. In particular, like other naturally-ventilated school environments, in addition to indoor pollutants children can be exposed to sub-micron particles and gaseous pollutants emitted by outdoor sources and penetrating the building envelope; moreover, high concentrations of super-micron particles can be reached due to the resuspension phenomena related to the physical activity performed therein. The present paper aims to evaluate the effect of different ventilation methods (natural ventilation, manual airing) and the use of air purifiers in reducing the indoor concentrations of different airborne particles and gaseous pollutants in school gyms. To this end, an experimental campaign was performed in two naturally-ventilated school gyms in Barcelona (Spain) of different volumes and different distance to major urban roads. Indoor and outdoor measurements of particle number, black carbon and PM1–10 concentrations were performed as well as indoor measurements of CO2 and NO2 concentrations. The study revealed that the use of air purifiers with windows kept closed (natural ventilation) can lead to a significant reduction in terms of indoor-to-outdoor concentration ratios. In the smaller gym (air changes per hour of the purifiers, ACH, equal to 9.2 h−1) the I/O ratios were reduced by 93% and 95% in terms of particle number and PM1–10, respectively; whereas in the larger school gym (ACH = 1.7 h−1) the corresponding reductions were 70% and 84%. For manual airing scenarios, the effect of the air purifiers on outdoor-generated sub-micron particles is reduced; in particular, for low ACH values (i.e. ACH = 1.7 h−1), the reduction is quite negligible (6%).
A. Pacitto; F. Amato; Teresa Moreno; M. Pandolfi; A. Fonseca; M. Mazaheri; Luca Stabile; G. Buonanno; X. Querol. Effect of ventilation strategies and air purifiers on the children's exposure to airborne particles and gaseous pollutants in school gyms. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 712, 135673 .
AMA StyleA. Pacitto, F. Amato, Teresa Moreno, M. Pandolfi, A. Fonseca, M. Mazaheri, Luca Stabile, G. Buonanno, X. Querol. Effect of ventilation strategies and air purifiers on the children's exposure to airborne particles and gaseous pollutants in school gyms. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 712 ():135673.
Chicago/Turabian StyleA. Pacitto; F. Amato; Teresa Moreno; M. Pandolfi; A. Fonseca; M. Mazaheri; Luca Stabile; G. Buonanno; X. Querol. 2019. "Effect of ventilation strategies and air purifiers on the children's exposure to airborne particles and gaseous pollutants in school gyms." Science of The Total Environment 712, no. : 135673.
The paper is focused on the emission of sub-micron particles from incinerator plants characterized by different treatment sections. In particular, measurement of particle number concentrations and distributions in different sampling points of the flue-gas treatment sections, and/or over several years, allowed to detect, for the very first time through in-field tests, the effect of the age of the fabric filter bags and of the SCR system on the emission of sub-micron particles. In fact, tests showed that the age of the fabric filter bags can affect the particle number concentrations at the stack: indeed, for older bags higher concentrations at the stack were measured likely due to the filter cleaning process. Concerning the effect of the SCR system, the natural gas combustion performed in the SCR system leads to an increase of sub-micron particle concentrations at the stack with respect to the values measured after the filtration section.
L. Stabile; Mauro Scungio; A. Frattolillo; G. Buonanno. Effects of the flue gas treatment of incinerator plants on sub-micron particle concentrations at the stack. Waste Management 2019, 101, 9 -17.
AMA StyleL. Stabile, Mauro Scungio, A. Frattolillo, G. Buonanno. Effects of the flue gas treatment of incinerator plants on sub-micron particle concentrations at the stack. Waste Management. 2019; 101 ():9-17.
Chicago/Turabian StyleL. Stabile; Mauro Scungio; A. Frattolillo; G. Buonanno. 2019. "Effects of the flue gas treatment of incinerator plants on sub-micron particle concentrations at the stack." Waste Management 101, no. : 9-17.
Most of the school buildings in Italy are high energy-demanding buildings with no ad-hoc ventilation systems (i.e., naturally-ventilated buildings). Therefore, reducing the heat losses of schools represent the main aspect to be dealt with. Nonetheless, the indoor air quality of the building should be simultaneously considered. Indeed, to date, energy consumptions and air quality are considered as incompatible aspects especially in naturally-ventilated buildings. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the effect of different ventilation and airing strategies on both indoor air quality and energy consumptions in high energy-demanding naturally-ventilated classrooms. To this purpose, an Italian test-classroom, characterized in terms of air permeability and thermophysical parameters of the envelope, was investigated by means of experimental analyses and simulations through CO2 mass balance equation during the heating season. The air quality was assessed in terms of indoor CO2 concentrations whereas the energy consumptions were evaluated through the asset rating approach. Results clearly report that not adequate indoor CO2 concentrations are measured in the classroom for free-running ventilation scenarios even in low densely populated conditions (2.2 m2 person−1), whereas scheduled airing procedures can reduce the indoor CO2 levels at the cost of higher energy need for ventilation. In particular, when airing periods leading to the air exchange rate required by standards are adopted, the CO2 concentration can decrease to values lower than 1000 ppm, but the ventilation losses increase up to 36% of the overall energy need for space heating of the classroom. On the contrary, when the same air exchange rate is applied through mechanical ventilation systems equipped with heat recovery units, the ventilation energy loss contribution decreases to 5% and the overall energy saving results higher than 30%. Such energy-saving was found even higher for occupancy scenarios characterized by more densely populated conditions of the classroom typically occurring in Italian classrooms.
Luca Stabile; Angelamaria Massimo; Laura Canale; Aldo Russi; Alexandro Andrade; Marco Dell’Isola. The Effect of Ventilation Strategies on Indoor Air Quality and Energy Consumptions in Classrooms. Buildings 2019, 9, 110 .
AMA StyleLuca Stabile, Angelamaria Massimo, Laura Canale, Aldo Russi, Alexandro Andrade, Marco Dell’Isola. The Effect of Ventilation Strategies on Indoor Air Quality and Energy Consumptions in Classrooms. Buildings. 2019; 9 (5):110.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLuca Stabile; Angelamaria Massimo; Laura Canale; Aldo Russi; Alexandro Andrade; Marco Dell’Isola. 2019. "The Effect of Ventilation Strategies on Indoor Air Quality and Energy Consumptions in Classrooms." Buildings 9, no. 5: 110.
The energy retrofit of existing buildings is a key strategy to reduce the energy costs of the building sector. Amongst the retrofit solutions, the adoption of mechanical ventilation systems represents a necessary approach for buildings with high crowding index, such as schools. The air quality in schools is a main issue since children spend a significant fraction of the year in such microenvironments. To date, the scientific literature has carried out several studies concerning the air quality in naturally ventilated schools worldwide, nonetheless most of the studies performed a general evaluation of the air quality just using the CO2 as a comprehensive indicator. This is an oversimplified approach since the indoor air quality is affected by several pollutants, including airborne particles, whose behavior cannot be predicted by the CO2 one. The aim of the research is the evaluation of the effect of the ventilation retrofit in a classroom on different indoor air quality parameters and energy consumption. To this end a mechanical ventilation system with a heat recovery unit was installed in a test-classroom and tests with CO2-based demand controlled ventilation were performed. CO2 levels and indoor-to-outdoor particle concentrations were measured and compared to the pre-retrofit ventilation conditions (i.e. manual airing procedures). Results showed that mechanical ventilation systems have simultaneous positive effects on the different pollutants investigated as well as on ventilation heat losses: indeed, lower indoor-to-outdoor concentration ratios, with respect to the airing approach, were detected simultaneously for CO2, sub-micron particles and PM10.
L. Stabile; G. Buonanno; A. Frattolillo; Marco Dell'Isola. The effect of the ventilation retrofit in a school on CO2, airborne particles, and energy consumptions. Building and Environment 2019, 156, 1 -11.
AMA StyleL. Stabile, G. Buonanno, A. Frattolillo, Marco Dell'Isola. The effect of the ventilation retrofit in a school on CO2, airborne particles, and energy consumptions. Building and Environment. 2019; 156 ():1-11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleL. Stabile; G. Buonanno; A. Frattolillo; Marco Dell'Isola. 2019. "The effect of the ventilation retrofit in a school on CO2, airborne particles, and energy consumptions." Building and Environment 156, no. : 1-11.
Our work a decade ago demonstrated that approximately 30% of the laser printers tested were high emitters of ultrafine particles (<0.1 μm). To assess how emission levels of the current generation of printers compared to the earlier models, we investigated 297 printers comprising 138 models from 12 different manufacturers, with the measurements conducted in Brisbane, Australia, and Cassino, Italy. In addition to particle number (PN—the majority of which are ultrafine particles), some of the printers were also tested for the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Based on the ratios of, respectively, PN and VOC concentrations above the printer before and after test printing, the printers were divided into four classes of emitters: nonemitters and low, medium, and high emitters. Our study showed that although different printer models were investigated in Brisbane and in Cassino, the distributions according to emitter classes were similar for PN emissions, with a high percentage of nonemitters and low PN emitters. In Brisbane, there were also mainly nonemitters and low VOC emitters, with, however, a higher percentage of VOC than PN emitters. In general we found that the emission levels were not intrinsic characteristics of specific brands or models of the printers. Finally, compared to the situation before 2007, large commercial printers have improved in terms of particle emissions; however, there has not been an obvious improvement over desktop printers.
Lidia Morawska; Meng Xiu; Congrong He; Giorgio Buonanno; Peter McGarry; Bastien Maumy; Luca Stabile; Phong K Thai. Particle Emissions from Laser Printers: Have They Decreased? Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2019, 6, 300 -305.
AMA StyleLidia Morawska, Meng Xiu, Congrong He, Giorgio Buonanno, Peter McGarry, Bastien Maumy, Luca Stabile, Phong K Thai. Particle Emissions from Laser Printers: Have They Decreased? Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 2019; 6 (5):300-305.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLidia Morawska; Meng Xiu; Congrong He; Giorgio Buonanno; Peter McGarry; Bastien Maumy; Luca Stabile; Phong K Thai. 2019. "Particle Emissions from Laser Printers: Have They Decreased?" Environmental Science & Technology Letters 6, no. 5: 300-305.
Several studies have shown an increased mortality rate for different types of tumors, respiratory disease and cardiovascular morbidity associated with foundry work. Airborne particles were investigated in a steelmaking foundry using an electric low-pressure impactor (ELPI+™), a Philips Aerasense Nanotracer and traditional sampling equipment. Determination of metallic elements in the collected particles was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The median of ultrafine particle (UFP) concentration was between 4.91 × 103 and 2.33 × 105 part/cm3 (max. 9.48 × 106 part/cm3). Background levels ranged from 1.97 × 104 to 3.83 × 104 part/cm3. Alveolar and deposited tracheobronchial surface area doses ranged from 1.3 × 102 to 8.7 × 103 mm2, and 2.6 × 101 to 1.3 × 103 mm2, respectively. Resulting inhalable and respirable fraction and metallic elements were below limit values set by Italian legislation. A variable concentration of metallic elements was detected in the different fractions of UFPs in relation to the sampling site, the emission source and the size range. This data could be useful in order to increase the knowledge about occupational exposure to fine and ultrafine particles and to design studies aimed to investigate early biological effects associated with the exposure to particulate matter in the foundry industries.
Gabriele Marcias; Jacopo Fostinelli; Andrea Maurizio Sanna; Michele Uras; Simona Catalani; Sergio Pili; Daniele Fabbri; Ilaria Pilia; Federico Meloni; Luigi Isaia Lecca; Egidio Madeo; Giorgio Massacci; Luca Stabile; Ernesto D’Aloja; Giorgio Buonanno; Giuseppe De Palma; Marcello Campagna. Occupational Exposure to Fine Particles and Ultrafine Particles in a Steelmaking Foundry. Metals 2019, 9, 163 .
AMA StyleGabriele Marcias, Jacopo Fostinelli, Andrea Maurizio Sanna, Michele Uras, Simona Catalani, Sergio Pili, Daniele Fabbri, Ilaria Pilia, Federico Meloni, Luigi Isaia Lecca, Egidio Madeo, Giorgio Massacci, Luca Stabile, Ernesto D’Aloja, Giorgio Buonanno, Giuseppe De Palma, Marcello Campagna. Occupational Exposure to Fine Particles and Ultrafine Particles in a Steelmaking Foundry. Metals. 2019; 9 (2):163.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGabriele Marcias; Jacopo Fostinelli; Andrea Maurizio Sanna; Michele Uras; Simona Catalani; Sergio Pili; Daniele Fabbri; Ilaria Pilia; Federico Meloni; Luigi Isaia Lecca; Egidio Madeo; Giorgio Massacci; Luca Stabile; Ernesto D’Aloja; Giorgio Buonanno; Giuseppe De Palma; Marcello Campagna. 2019. "Occupational Exposure to Fine Particles and Ultrafine Particles in a Steelmaking Foundry." Metals 9, no. 2: 163.