This study was performed to investigate the possible sources as well as seasonal and diurnal variations of indoor air pollutants in widely used four different environments (house, office, kindergarten, and primary school) in which people spend most of their time. Bioaerosol levels and species, volatile organic compound (VOC) levels, and PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < or = 2.5 microm) levels were determined in different parts of these environments in parallel with outdoor sampling. Air pollution samplings were carried out in each microenvironment during five subsequent days in both winter and summer in Ankara, Turkey. The results indicated that bioaerosol, VOC, and PM2.5 levels were higher in the winter than in the summer. Moreover PM2.5 and bioaerosol levels showed remarkable daily and diurnal variations, whereas a good correlation was found between the VOC levels measured in the morning and in the afternoon. Bacteria levels were, in general, higher than fungi levels. Among the VOCs, toluene was the most predominant, whereas elevated n-hexane levels were also observed in the kindergarten and the primary school, probably due to the frequent wet cleaning during school days. According to factor analysis, several factors were found to be significantly influencing the indoor air quality (IAQ), and amongst them, VOC-based products used indoors ranked first. The overall results indicate that grab sampling in naturally ventilated places may overestimate or underestimate the IAQ due to the inhomogeneous composition of indoor air caused by irregular exchanges with the outdoor air according to the season and/or occupants' habits. Seasonal and diurnal variations of VOCs, PM2.5, bioaerosols in house, office, and schools were observed, in which PM2.5 and bioaeorosols showed marked both intra- and interday variability, but VOCs did not. VOC-containing products were the most common source of air pollutants affecting the indoor air quality. External factors affecting the indoor air quality were season and indirectly ventilation. A grab sample cannot be representative in evaluating the air quality of a naturally ventilated environment precisely.

This study investigated levels of airborne bacteria in 90 indoor sampling sites with no known complaints such as kindergartens, schools, homes and dorms over three seasons. Airborne bacteria samples were collected before and during the heating season in Çanakkale, Turkey. Also, a detailed occupant questionnaire was completed by one of the occupants (n = 90) in each sampling site. Total bacteria counts (TBCs) were found to be higher in the sampling sites where coal was used as a heating source and in kindergartens where the occupancy rate was highest (p < 0.05). Meteorological parameters were associated with outdoor TBC levels (p < 0.001). Associations were found (p = 0.05) for indoor TBC and other building factors (last floor covering/wall painting/renovation times, heating/cooking fuels and the age of the building). Indoor TBC levels together with the building-related factors (environmental tobacco smoke exposure, occupancy rate, distance to traffic, heating fuel, amount of carpet covering, and last wall painting time) and personal factors (gender and daily time spent indoors) were found to be associated with at least one group of the sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms (p < 0.05). In particular, general SBS symptoms (headache, fatigue and dizziness) were observed more often in female participants (p < 0.05). In conclusion, there is a need to conduct more studies in larger populations to find the links between air pollutants and SBS symptoms.

Biomarker measurements can provide unambiguous evidence of environmental exposures as well as the resultant biological responses. Firefighters have a high rate of occupational cancer incidence, which has been proposed to be linked in part to their increased environmental exposure to byproducts of combustion and contaminants produced during fire responses. In this article, the uptake and elimination of targeted volatile organic compounds were investigated by collecting the exhaled breath of firefighters on sorbent tubes before and after controlled structure burns and analyzing samples using automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography (ATD-GC/MS). Volatile organic compounds exposure was assessed by grouping the data according to firefighting job positions as well as visualizing the data at the level of the individual firefighter to determine which individuals had expected exposure responses. When data were assessed at the group level, benzene concentrations were found to be elevated post-exposure in both fire attack, victim search, and outside ventilation firefighting positions. However, the results of the data analysis at the individual level indicate that certain firefighters may be more susceptible to post-exposure volatile organic compounds increases than others, and this should be considered when assessing the effectiveness of firefighting protective gear. Although this work focuses on firefighting activity, the results can be translated to potential human health and ecological effects from building and forest fires.